


A life together

by Anothershadow24



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adopted Children, Angst, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Everyone is protective of Tony, Extremis Tony Stark, F/M, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Irondad, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Odin (Marvel)'s A+ Parenting, Parent Loki (Marvel), Parent Tony Stark, Pre-Iron Man 1, Secret Relationship, The Bots Are Tony's Children, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 38,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27904384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anothershadow24/pseuds/Anothershadow24
Summary: Loki and Tony Stark meet in 2008.They become friends.They fall in love.Then Tony is kidnapped and Iron Man is born.Thor is going to be crowned and Loki intervenesFrom then on, it just gets complicated.OR, Loki and Tony meet before the invasion in New York and the whole story of the MCU is changed.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan & Loki & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark, Nebula & Tony Stark, Nick Fury & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Loki & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Thor
Comments: 337
Kudos: 789





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first time I'm writing a story in english so bare with me. I'm really excited about where this is gonna go and I apologize for any mistakes I'm sure I'm gonna make. This is not beta-read so It's just me, myself and I.
> 
> Hope you like it! :)

**-2008-**

Tony Stark was angry. Well, not angry, but quite irritated.

You must be wondering why. It’s actually quite simple.

Pepper - loving, intelligent, annoying Pepper - locked him out of his own goddamn house with the help of J.A.R.V.I.S. just because he got drunk. Again. So now, he finds himself waking up in the Malibu Public Library with one of the worst hangovers of the last year. Why in the public library? No clue. It's not like he remembers much of what happened that night.

"Sir, you can't sleep here." Tony, still trying to figure out what he was doing there, looked up from where he was sitting on the floor against the wall. An older woman was watching him with judgement in her gaze. "Oh wow, are you Tony Stark?"

"Nope, just a copycat here. I need money to buy breakfast, you know? What do you think? Is the beard okay? Maybe it's too dark, maybe it's not accurate enough, I don't know... I don't trust the photos that they publish in magazines. Either way, I'm much more handsome than the original billionaire, don't you think? "

Rolling her eyes, the lady turned and began to walk away. "If you’re not going to look for a book then you can start walking towards the exit"

"How nice of you," he said as he got up muttering. First time in years he walked into this place, he might as well look around. It can't hurt anyone. The loneliness and silence may even help get rid of the killer headache.

Anyone who reads the tabloids would think that the great Tony Stark, master of technology, would despise a library. However, since Edwin Jarvis - his family butler - had a habit of giving him a book for each of his birthdays while growing up, this differed greatly from reality.

He enjoyed the silence of the place. Rows and rows of shelves filled with unexplored worlds, stories to discover, things to learn, words to enjoy. And at the end of one of the corridors, the silhouette of a person.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor and completely absorbed by the book in his hands, was a man.

A handsome man.

A handsome giggling man.

"I've finally seen it all"

The man looked up, still smiling at whatever it was that was causing him such amusement, and almost knocked the air out of Tony with his piercing green eyes.

"I do not know what you mean," he replied, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"This is the first time I've heard someone laugh in the library. Especially if that laugh was caused by a book. Don't get me wrong, but unless that's a book about bad jokes there, it doesn't make much sense."

He smirked, "Perhaps you have not read enough books to have an informed opinion on it. You too would laugh if you read such nonsense."

"What are you even reading?" He asked, taking a few steps closer.

"Nordic mythology", he turned the book and showed him an image of a horse with eight legs. "This animal is supposedly the son of the God of mischief, lies and fire."

Tony huffed upon hearing that, "See? That right there is why I don't like myths. I'm a man of science. I need proven facts, theories, hypotheses. An eight-legged horse? Could be. Now, an eight-legged horse, son of a God on an unknown planet with a colorful bridge and magic hammers... that's a little more difficult to believe. But hey, we don't know everything about space. We could be part of a floating particle in another completely different universe. Who knows?"

"You talk a lot"

"You're not the first to tell me and you won't be the last," he laughed.

"What a peculiar human you are."

"What's up with that way of talking anyway? Are you a Shakespeare fan?" The man chuckled but didn't answer. “I guess that’s a yes”

They talked a bit more about the myths -Asgard, Thor, Odin and whatnot- until the stranger finally rose from the ground and Tony was finally able to fully appreciate his person in the light.

Accompanying the green eyes, he could see porcelain skin and dark hair brushing his shoulders. He was clearly taller than him, and was wearing a long black jacket with a green button-down shirt underneath.

"I'm Tony, by the way," he added as they both walked towards the door that led to the street. "Tony Stark"

"Lukas"

"Nice. No last name?"

"Why would I want a last name? I already have a first one"

He rolled his eyes and mumbled, "And I'm the peculiar one"

Tony's cell phone rang distracting him from his line of thought and the person beside him. It showed a message from Pepper saying that the doors of his house were open again. A dry laugh escaped him. Go figure. He was finally able to enter HIS home.

"So Lukas, that British accent tells me you're not from around here. Are you? Or-" When he looked around, he found himself alone in the streets of Malibu.

Argh, the handsome foreigner-maybe-not-so-foreigner left him alone and on top of that he needed to take a cab. Great. Just great.

What a great fucking day.

* * *

  
  


"Rhodey, I'm not kidding. That man was weird. He was talking like he came out of a damn book from the bygone era," he said without taking his eyes off the screen he was working on. "I know you call me weird more times than you can tell, but this was another level. But, leaving that aside, what's going on in the world of air forces? Any new interesting stories to tell, honeybear?"

When he looks up, he realizes that his best friend is trying (and clearly failing) to contain his laughter.

"What? What's so funny?"

"I've never seen you so interested in a person before. It's amusing. Luke surname-less must have something special if he can get under your skin after a single encounter," he smirked.

Tony frowned and pretended to be offended, "First of all, his name is Lukas, not Luke. This isn’t Star Wars, Sourpatch. And second of all, he left me alone in the street without saying a word! Of-fucking-course he managed to get under my skin, what were you expecting? "

"That still doesn't explain why you've spent the last twenty minutes talking about this mysterious stranger," he said looking at him knowingly.

"He’s not mysterious, he’s weird. And I'm taking my frustration out on you, you got a problem with that?"

"None, Tones," he laughed while shaking his head. "Not a single one"

* * *

Two months had passed since his meeting with Lukas and, to be honest, he had already forgotten about the stranger. That was until he saw him as he passed the mall on his morning run (Not that he runs every morning, it was just a stupid bet he made with Rhodey).

The tall dark-haired man was standing in front of a graffiti with a face of pure concentration and, perhaps, even a little confusion.

"Hey, what a coincidence. I thought I wasn't gonna see you again," Tony said jogging closer and slowing down as he arrived. "Do you remember me? I'm the one you left alone on the street after chatting in the library for a while"

"Indeed. The son of Stark, I believe"

"Okay, first of all, that was rude. Don't remember me as Howard's son. I'm Tony," he replied with a grimace. "Second of all, I'm surprised that you remember me, I thought you hadn't recognized me the previous time"

"Should I have?" he asked with interest.

"Uh, maybe? I mean, people tend to recognize me, not for any good reason, mind you. So it's refreshing to find someone who has no idea who I am."

"I think I have seen you in one of those books with few pages and soft covers"

Tony stifled a laugh, "You mean a magazine?"

"Is that the name of that pathetic attempt of a book? Why would you Midgardians want such a pitiful piece of reading?"

"Midgardians?" He said confused, "Wait, Midgardians. What do you mean? like Midgard? One of the 9 realms? That’s what you’re talking about? Well, I guess that makes sense. I knew you liked Norse mythology, but I didn't know you were such a fan. "

"What exactly is a fan?"

"Oh man, you really aren’t from around here, are ya? But where are you from? I think even Dum-E knows what a fan is."

"Dummy?"

"Nevermind", but Tony realized how quickly he evaded his questions.

When he looked at his watch, the genius realized how late he was getting for a meeting with Obadaiah and, with a groan, he reported this to Lukas and said, "Look, just give me your number and we can maybe hang out someday", only to get a questioning look.

"Don't tell me you don't have a phone or I swear to god I-", he took a deep breath and continued. "It doesn't matter. You have the face of someone who has a good memory, so I'm gonna give you the address of my house and, if one day you want to stop by to visit because you feel lonely and bored, you can come. Is that good? Yes? Great. Remember. 10880 Malibu Point, 90265. Now I gotta go. Nice to see ya "

And just like that, Tony Stark left, leaving a dumbfounded Lukas behind.

But they both knew that this wouldn’t be the last time they would see each other.

And so, they both smiled.


	2. New friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki meets Tony's friends and a secret is revealed.

The first time Lukas appeared at his front door, Tony was fixing the engine of one of his luxurious cars. This meant that he was dressed in an AC/DC shirt, jeans and that oil stains covered his hands, face and outfit.

Wiping himself with a cloth, he went to greet his guest. If J.A.R.V.I.S says he ran to the door, no one has to know.

"Hello, good sir. Welcome to my humble abode," he said, acting all professional. "Come in, please. Mi casa es tu casa and all that."

Lukas, with his hands behind his back and eyes full of curiosity, entered the mansion and said, "Is this what midgardians call humble?"

Tony's lips went up a bit when he heard the term 'midgardians'. It was strangely cute.

"Well maybe not humble but hey, I'm a billionaire. I can't help it," he smirked.

"A billionaire," Lukas said thoughtfully. "Does it mean that you are royalty?"

"What? No, no, there’s just no fucking way. I'm too chaotic for royalty. I'm always late everywhere, I forget to eat because I'm working all day, I sleep little, I'm a narcissist ... I think that gives you an idea why I can’t be royalty. Being a billionaire just means I have lots of money. You really didn't know what it meant? Or are you pulling my leg? "

Lukas just smirked and avoided the question with mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Is it usual for you to invite strangers to your house?"

"No, you are actually the first"

"It is my job to correct you there Sir", said J.A.R.V.I.S entering the conversation and making Lukas jump a bit, "Every time you went out and brought a guest with you for the night counts as inviting strangers to your house"

"Damn J, I was trying to make a good impression," amused, Tony looked at the tall man next to him and remembered, "J, this is Lukas, my new acquaintance. Lukas, this is J.A.R.V.I.S"

Curiosity filled the green eyes that looked at the ceiling looking for the place of origin of the voice. "Do you have a human on your roof? Does he work for you? I had thought Midgard stopped using servants"

"Oh wow, no, no, J is an AI. Artificial intelligence. Basically Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, a very advanced computer that thinks and helps me with everything I need."

"Sir created me in 2001 and I have evolved since then"

"You created a soul?" asks with an awed look in his face.

"Uh, what do you mean soul?" Lukas laughed at his clueless expression. "Anyway, do you want to watch a movie?"

"What is a movie?"

This time Tony just rolled his eyes and dragged him to the couch to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

* * *

To say that Loki was having a good time in Midgard was an understatement.

Every time the situation got boring in Asgard, he went to visit his new friend. Every time the warriors proved they were all muscle and no brains, he went to visit his new friend. Every time Thor decided to side with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, he went to visit his new friend.

The first time he stepped onto Midgard, Loki had been traveling the 9 realms for a while. He did not think in which part of the planet he was going to spend his stay, but luckily, the spell he made to locate himself took him to Malibu.

At first, Loki walked along the beach where he had landed and enjoyed the tranquility that the place offered him. When he decided to enter the city, he realized that Midgard was not as stuck in time as everyone in Asgard thought.

And then he saw the sign that said 'Malibu public library' and he couldn't resist going inside. Needless to say, it was a good decision.

Having visited him so many times, at this point, Loki could tell that Anthony Edward Stark was one of the most interesting and beautiful creatures he had ever met. Being able to talk to someone who competed with his own intelligence was a new and highly accepted fact. Watching the genius at work was always a delight and never ceased to amaze him.

The first time Tony let him see his workshop, Loki met Dum-E, U and Butterfingers. He immediately became fond of the cute robots and spent at least an hour playing with them while Tony worked on a new long-range rifle for the military.

"So, what brings you to this area of the country?", Asked his friend one day.

Looking for a true answer to give him but trying to avoid everything that has to do with his life in Asgard, he replied, "I was trying to get away from my family. My idiot brother and his friends especially. My father too."

"Do you also have a shitty father? Oh wow, let's drink to that. Maybe we should start a club, I mean, my father is dead, but one thing doesn’t take away the other"

They both smiled grimly and drank from their beers, which Loki immediately spat out with a disgusted face that made Tony laugh until he was out of breath.

* * *

Tony tried to investigate. He had asked J.A.R.V.I.S to search for whatever information he could find about Lukas but no results came back. For a while, he came to think that he was imagining the whole situation and stopped drinking for a few days. When he saw that alcohol had nothing to do with it, he returned to normal.

Finally, only when Lukas met Pepper and Happy was he able to calm his growing paranoia. He wasn’t crazy.

Thank heaven they all got along splendidly. Pepper embarrassed him by saying, "It's about time. Tony needs more friends. You're in for a ride though, there's never a dull moment with this one. There aren't any prolonged stress-free moments either but that's just a side effect." Happy, on the other hand, simply offered his services if he ever needed to take him somewhere.

Loki and Rhodey met a month later.

"Platypus, this is Lukas. Lukas this is my platypus, better known as Rhodey or James Rhodes"

"It is a pleasure to meet you"

"Oh believe me, the pleasure is mine. I was already tired of hearing about your green eyes, dark hair yada yada. It's nice to put a face to the name. Tony talks about you all the damn time, seriously, the other day he said that You- ", his hand interrupted what Rhodey was saying.

That just made Loki smile from ear to ear imagining what it could be that Tony had said about him but didn’t want him to know. And, strangely, that made the dark-skinned man smile as well and drop the subject with a suspiciously smug look.

* * *

“That’s not a duck! How can you call that a duck? It's an aberration. You're insulting all the ducks in the world by comparing it to that deformed creature you drew."

"Oh, forgive me if I'm not a damn professional artist, what did you expect? You can't even complain, you're the one who designes things for a living and couldn't draw a stupid crab."

"Hey! My crab was perfect. It's not my fault you have no imagination"

"That wasn't a crab, it was a spider. You're not going to change my mind.", muttered Rhodey.

"Well, I think my duck looks wonderful," said Pepper.

"It looks like a weird looking swan, why would you draw a duck with such a long neck?" Happy commented.

"Either you shut it or you're gonna have to fill out Tony's missing paperwork"

Meanwhile, Loki laughed at the antics of his friends. 

He felt happy and free in a way that he hadn't felt for a long time.

They were playing something called 'Pictionary'. They had fought over who was playing with who and ended up being Rhodey and Tony against him, Pepper and Happy. Fun things came out of this game and, added to the pizzas they ordered, the banter and the company, he couldn't ask for anything more.

After finishing the game, they went out to the beach and sat on the sand near the shore to talk. That was until Loki felt something that forced him to look up. He felt his mother's voice speak to him in his head and he cursed.

_ "Loki, your father needs you and your brother. Please come back as quickly as you can. Frost giants" _

As soon as he finished listening to the message, he got up quickly and ran a little to get away from his friends who, seeing him in such a hurry, had stood up and were following him closely.

"No, stay back! I have to go and you have to stay where you are"

"Lukas, what the hell is going on?" Asked Tony worriedly.

"I am sorry Anthony, I shall explain when I get back, do not panic and please remember our first conversation"

Using his seiðr, Loki changed his clothing to the armor he usually wore in Asgard. Green leather, vambraces, golden details, boots and his cape.

"I will see you all in a few days," he informed the dumbfounded faces of the four Midgardians. "Heimdall, I am ready!"

And just like that, he transported himself to his place of origin, leaving behind the people he was beginning to care for.

  
  
  
  
  



	3. Loki Odinson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony figures it out, Loki comes back to explain and Happy is done with everything.

_Do not panic._

_Do not panic._

_Do not panic._

He wasn't panicking. Not at all. Why would he panic? The man he was crushing on magically changed his outfit and then disappeared in a flash of colors leaving a strange mark in the sand. Nothing more.

There’s literally no reasons to panic. Right?

Right.

"JARVIS, please try to figure out what the symbol our favorite stranger left on the beach when he left means," Tony asked as he finished his second cup of coffee.

After Lukas' dramatic departure, the four friends had not spoken to each other again. They had stood for a while looking in shock at the exact point where the light show had happened only to then enter the mansion and go to their rooms. Everyone except Tony.

The genius couldn't get what Lukas had said out of his head. He thought and thought again about what he meant by it, but couldn’t find the meaning.

_Do not panic and please remember our first conversation._

Tony may not have been able to find the meaning because it was four o'clock in the morning and it had been 27 hours since he last slept. He also may not have found the meaning because that first time they had spoken he was terribly hungover and that memory was kinda blurred. Either way, he, at JARVIS 'insistence, decided to sleep and continue the next day - when his mind was clear and he was totally sure it was not part of his imagination.

* * *

"Sir, no match has been found regarding the brand on the ground"

"Okay. Shit. Uh, what else? JARVIS? What about the little colored lights that fell from the sky and made Lukas disappear?"

"I will look into it"

After five hours of interrupted sleep, Tony was back in his workshop drinking coffee, trying to fully wake up and thinking about the first time he met the dark-haired man.

"We have a match," JARVIS announced.

"Let's have it J"

"The way Mr. Lukas disappeared last night appears to resemble the Bifrost, a bridge located in Asgard"

"Are you talking about the rainbow bridge? The one in Norse mythology? That bridge?"

"Yes, Sir"

Tony broke into hysterics. He laughed until tears fell down his cheeks and he was short of breath.

"That’s hilarious. Really. Don't be stupid J, how canit be the bridge in Asgard? C’mon, It's just a myth. Honestly, you’re sounding like Lukas with all that Midgard nonsense and-"

Memories hit him like bricks to the head and caused him to fall from the chair he was sitting in, taking with him pieces of metal that were on the work table.

_"What are you even reading?" "Nordic mythology"_

_"What a peculiar human you are."_

_“The son of Stark, I believe"_

_"Is this what midgardians call humble?"_

_"What is a movie?"_

"Holy fucking shit! No way!"

Happy, Pepper and Rhodey appeared in the room a few minutes later because of the noise they heard and the cascade of curses that were added to it.

"What happened?"

"Are you okay Tones?"

"Do I need to call an ambulance?"

"Why would you call an ambulance? Do you see blood? You see him unconscious? No."

"You know what Rhodes? I-"

"We better let Tony explain, then you can fight like five-year-olds."

"Uh, okay so, here's the thing. I’m pretty sure we became friends with a Norse God."

Silence filled the air until everyone present could process the information.

"You're right, an ambulance is stupid, let's call a psychiatrist"

* * *

Loki had not prepared for what awaited him on earth. He had prepared to meet an angry Tony, a furious Pepper, a scowling Rhodey, and a confused Happy.

So when he rang the mansion doorbell and a quiet and serious billionaire answered, Loki forgot the speech he had prepared.

"Uh, hello"

"Oh good, you're here. Come in."

Puzzled by the reaction, he walked into the huge living room and noticed that there was no one else in sight.

"You, sit. I'm going to make a call. Try not to disappear again. If I find even one space symbol thingy, I'm gonna make you pay for the remodel. Got it?" Loki nodded, "Great. Be right back"

Fifteen minutes later, his four friends were sitting on a couch in front of him silently watching him. He felt like one of the sculptures in the palace. 

"Well, is anyone gonna ask him what the heck was that stunt he pulled the other day?"

"I have a better one, what took you so long that we had to wait almost two weeks for you to come back?", Tony said without showing any emotion.

"I am sorry about that. My father needed my presence and that of my brother to solve a particular situation with giants"

"Uh-huh. Where exactly does this father of yours live?" Pepper asked. "Because Tony here has a theory that honestly made us consider committing him to a mental health institute"

Loki smiled at this, "Pray tell, what is that theory of yours Anthony?"

"That you are a norse god, you live in Asgard and the other night you used the bifrost to return to your planet", he replied with a small glint in his eyes.

"Tones, we've talked about this. There's no way"

"Why? 'Cause we don't have evidence of alien life? Honeybear, we haven't explored all of space, I mean, it's space! C’mon! We're never going to know everything that exists up there. Is it seriously so crazy to think there's more life than us in the universe? "

"Don't call me Honeybear"

“I’ll call you whatever I please” 

"Children, stop with the banter. Lukas, explain"

"Yes mom", the two friends said in unison.

Amused, Loki decided it was better to show them first than to try to explain. They probably think they imagined everything.

Focusing on his seiðr he returned to his Asgardian garments in a second, making Pepper spit out the water she was drinking.

"They don't pay me enough for this”, escucho a Happy murmurar, “'Be my driver' he said, 'it's an easy and boring job' he said. Fucking hell, I need a drink"

Tony was beaming, "So I was right! Not that I've ever been wrong about anything, mind you"

"Sir, I do remember that time when you-"

"JARVIS, mute"

"Yes Anthony, you were right”, he said chuckling. “ My name is Loki. Son of Odin. God of mischief, lies and stories"

"This is awesome. This is literally the best thing that ever happened to us. I have so many questions"

"You also have a meeting with the board. You missed the previous one, Obadiah won't forgive you if you miss this one. They're getting anxious and they need something new Tony"

"Shit, this is why I hate being CEO," says frowning, "Okay, new plan. You stay here, do whatever you gods do to entertain yourself, I go to the meeting, finish it as quickly as I can and then I come back with Chinese food so we can have our little chat. How 'bout that? "

"Are you actually going to travel to China to get this food?"

"You were right man, he is adorable"

Everyone laughed and Loki, blushing, felt like he belonged again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Not alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki tells some hard truths about Asgard

**\- 2009 -**

"If I have to sign one more piece of paper, my hand will literally fall off"

Dum-E approached them with a glass full of one of his famous smoothies and Loki couldn't resist patting his arm fondly.

It was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that he accepted one of the suspicious glasses.

"JARVIS? Is it safe to drink?" Tony asked cautiously.

"I would not recommend it, Sir. I could detect oil being part of the ingredients"

"Perfect, so we should probably eat something and find any other liquid that is actually fit for human consumption. I'm starving."

"I am not in fact human, I can drink what Dum-E made. I have done it before."

"Yeah, and how did that work out for ya?", Loki doesn't respond, "Exactly. I was thinking, we should order something. Neither of us can cook without setting something on fire. How about McDonalds?"

"What is that?"

"Fast food. You're gonna love it. You haven't lived until you tried one of their cheeseburgers, trust me."

"For your information, I am over a thousand years old. I think I have lived long enough," he said with a smirk.

Tony tilts his head and looks at him with a frown, "You know, I never thought about it”, he then looked at him grinning. “You're an old man. Like a very, very old man. What am I even doing feeding you cheeseburgers, I should be giving you salads and soups. Just for the sake of your health. We don't want you kicking the bucket in the near future, do we? "

"You are aware that you are not half as funny as you think Anthony"

"C'mon, lighten up Lokes"

The god of mischief blushed upon hearing the nickname, this being the first time anyone had ever called him anything remotely affectionate.

"Lokes?"

"You like it? It doesn't matter if you don’t, I'm gonna call you that anyway"

They both smiled and stared at each other until Tony broke the moment.

"For what it’s worth, you are definitely, without a doubt, my favorite old man"

Loki laughed and if he threw a pen at him, no one can blame him.

* * *

The third Harry Potter movie had just finished when Tony decided to ask what had been bothering him for a while.

"Are you ever gonna tell me why you spend so much time with us lame mortals instead of on your fancy planet?" Seeing that Loki looked down, he tried to downplay the matter. "It doesn't matter if you don't tell me, it’s fine. I was just curious. You're not obliged to say anything."

The dark-haired man began to fiddle with a thread from the blanket that covered him before answering.

"Asgard is a beautiful place to look at. The people are lovely. Anyone who has visited will say the same thing. The problem begins when you are different from everyone who lives there."

"What do you mean?", He asked, wanting to know, even if he dreaded the answer.

"For example, when we were children, all the boys my age spent their free time training to be warriors. They loved it. I, on the other hand, enjoyed going to the library and reading any book I found. They played using brute force while I played using my wits. Sure, every once in a while I had a wonderful time playing with Thor, imagining that we hunted dragons and saved our people from the frost giants, but I was always pushed aside for being different. "

"What about your magic? That should’ve given you some brownie points, right? Everyone loves magic."

Loki looked at him with such a sad smile that he felt his heart break a little.

Without realizing it, he was holding one of the Asgardian’s hands and rubbing soft circles with his thumb.

"That is what you would think. But on the contrary. In Asgard, seiðr is considered a female skill. So, you can imagine, me being male, it didn't help my social circle much."

Tony was furious. He needed to hit something. No. He needed to take a trip to godly land and kick some ass. Which, no point in that. They would probably tear him apart. But at least he wanted to give them a piece of his mind.

"Loki, look at me and listen carefully. You are one of the most wonderful people I've ever met. You are so damn special. Everything about you is. Not just your seiðr. You're amazing, and if no one in Asgard realizes it, then they are all fools ", he wiped a tear that fell from those beautiful green eyes and wrapped him in a big bear hug.

"You're not alone anymore, Lokes. You have Pepper, Rhodey, Happy and me. They may not understand you, God knows they don't understand me. But they’ll try. And I do understand you, and I will always be there for you. We have your back. You're our friend, and now you're also part of our family. From now on, you're stuck with us "

"You are not alone either Anthony. I am here for you"

It was as if a dam had broken. Both men sobbed into each other's arms, happy to have found someone who understood them and releasing the sadness they had carried for years.

They were not alone anymore.

For the first time in forever, they had someone to relate to. No judgment whatsoever. No masks. No fake smiles.

Someone to just… be.

For the first time in forever, they felt like their hearts were safe.


	5. Under the night sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Tony get their act together.

"So boss, when exactly are you going to tell our resident god that you like him?"

Tony dropped his phone, startled by the sudden question.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Hap"

"Sure thing, it's not like you're a literal genius. How could you _possibly_ understand what I'm saying? uh?"

"Shut up and drive, Hogan"

"Whatever makes you happy, Boss"

* * *

"... and I do not know what the customs in this realm are. I believed that a person's birthday was celebrated there, when the person was born. Why are your customs so strange?"

"Loki, is there any point to this conversation? I have only like a thousand other things to do," said Pepper annoyed.

"I am getting there", he glared at her. "It has come to my attention that Anthony's day of birth is coming up and, based on what JARVIS told me, I am supposed to gift him something"

"That's right. But I still don't see the problem"

"I have no idea what or how I am to do that! What can I possibly give him? I cannot buy him anything. I do not have money in this planet"

Pepper's annoyed look softened upon hearing Loki so frustrated and worried about something that, for most, was so simple.

"Whatever you give him, it'll be fine. Trust me. You could give him a rock and he'd love it", but Loki was not impressed with that answer.

Pepper sighed but then she smiled at him.

"Try to give him something with meaning. Tony is a billionaire, he can have anything he wants, but, on his birthdays he is used to receiving bottles of wine or expensive watches. Things that are just empty, especially when he doesn’t even know the people who give them to him "

"I need to think of something as soon as possible, I will not be able to be here on his birthday. I have to go help my oaf of a brother negotiate with the elves. They are not kind to those who upset them and Thor is most probably going to do just that "

"Does Tony know?"

"He does, that is why I need the perfect gift"

* * *

Two days after his birthday party, Tony was in his workshop, tinkering with a pager while Rhodey filled out forms for the military.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"The necklace you have dangling there"

Tony looked at him amused, "Why are you asking if you already know what it is? Are you going senile honey bear?"

"You know what I meant, brat. Where did you get that from?"

"It was a gift from Loki", he answered with a big smile looking away from his work.

Happy to show off his favorite gift in years, Tony took off the [necklace](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSterling-Compass-Vegvisir-Hammered-Necklace%2Fdp%2FB01LZ24GZS&psig=AOvVaw36yMqaOy2AmAEIV4uLR9ev&ust=1607805982010000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCODH8ZXmxu0CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE) and handed it to his best friend.

It was a silver chain with a pendant slightly larger than a coin. In it, there was a symbol.

"He said it's called Vegvísir, it’s what the Vikings used as a compass. He said it was for me to remember my way home", he said with a gentle tone.

"That's nice of him"

"And you still haven't heard the best part. He said he used his green sparkles to modify it. If I hold it while I call his name, he'll be able to find me. He said it was for emergencies, so if I ever need him, he'll be there for me "

"Damn, you're so gone for each other that it's actually embarrassing"

"I'm not- what are you- I'm not gone for him!"

"Yes, you are. You just need to get your head out of you ass and do something about it"

Tony didn't say anything else, he just snatched the necklace from Rhodey's hands and went back to work muttering under his breath.

* * *

It was already dark when Loki returned to Midgard. The sky was full of stars and the moon subtly illuminated the beach making the sense of calm even greater, so he decided not to enter the mansion and stay on the shore.

A while later, he felt the presence of another person next to him and didn't even have to look to know who it was.

"Planning on going under the sea? Maybe you can meet the little mermaid"

Loki smiles, "I would not mind seeing how far I could go if I swam"

"I dunno, the ocean scares me. What if there is a shark swimming under you? There is nowhere to go. You can't escape from anything."

"In Asgard is different. Did you know that it is flat?"

"What is flat?"

"Asgard"

"Flat? What do you mean fla- wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?", Tony gaped at him.

"That is what terrifies me about it, ever since I was a child. If you fall into the sea and the current drags you, no matter how good a swimmer you are, there comes a time when the water ends and you fall into the void"

Loki finally turned and looked straight into Tony's honey brown eyes.

"Instead, here in Midgard, if the current takes you, at some point you reach the mainland. You can get lost, but you can cling to the hope that someone will find you or that you will simply reach another land", silence follows.

"Or you can just drown"

And the comment is so spontaneous, so true, and so Anthony that they both burst out laughing.

When they manage to calm down, nothing can erase the smile from their faces. There's a spark in Tony's eyes that makes something incredibly warm fill his chest.

Without knowing how, the two were so close that Loki could feel his body temperature in contrast to the cool night. One of Tony's hands found its way to his face and he could feel the soft brush of knuckles on his cheek.

He closed his eyes.

It had been too long since someone, anyone, had touched him so gently.

"You know, Happy and Rhodey have long insisted that I like you, that I really like you. Like a lot," he said almost in a whisper.

The warm touch on his face was grounding, "Is that so? Pepper has bothered me with the same speech."

"I think this time they’re right"

"They may have grounds to support that theory," Tony chuckles.

He opened his eyes.

"Can I kiss you?"

Hearing how those words came almost shyly from his lips, Loki couldn't help but beaming at the other man. He was almost certain that this was the most honest, joyful, big smile he had ever shown.

“Yes"

It was like nothing they had ever felt before.

They felt complete, safe, loved, happy.

They felt full of life.

"Pep is going to be over the moon. She just made fifty bucks."

"What?”

"They had a bet going on"

"Why am I not surprised?" They laughed, "Can I kiss you again?"

Loki rolled his eyes and simply wrapped his arms around his neck, shutting him down with a sweet kiss.

"Hmn, wait, was JARVIS in on it too?", The death glare he sent him seemed to work because without waiting for an answer, he said, "Yes, you're right, let's continue"

Smiling, they kissed again.

"I'll just ask him later"

_What a lovable idiot._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter starts with Iron Man 1!!
> 
> I'm really excited about this. Hope you're liking this story ♥


	6. I'll come back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes to shit

**\- 2010 -**

Tony and Loki have never been so happy before.

In their time together, they had managed to accommodate their relationship in between Asgard, Stark Industries, and their friends.

Usually, when Tony had to go on a business trip, Loki would return to his planet. When Loki had to attend his princely duties, Tony caught up with his work. Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy were around whenever they could, but they also gave them space to be alone and explore their new status.

"J, give me an exploded view"

It was morning and they were both at the workshop. The genius was working on an engine while the god of mischief watched him from the table where he was sitting.

"The compression in cylinder three appears to be low"

"Log that"

Loki looked at the time on his StarkPhone. Yeah, now he had one of those, because ' _ You can't go out with me and not have one. How am I supposed to text you while I'm in boring meetings?' _

"You are going to be late again and Pepper is going to kill me"

"Nah, in any case it's me she is going to murder"

"You know today it's her birthday, right?"

"Today? Really?", Loki glared at him. "Yes, I knew that. Did we buy her something nice?"

"Of course, I am not a forgetful idiot like someone"

"Good"

Tony finished what he was doing and turned to look at his boyfriend.

"Do you really have to go?" He asked, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"Yeah. I’m the one who has to give the demonstration, nobody understands it better than the one who invented the weapons," he smirked. "Why? What's wrong?"

"James explained where you are going to go. He said it was a war zone."

Understanding what was happening, Tony approached where his boyfriend was and stood in the space between his legs. With both hands, he gently took his face and looked directly into his perfect green eyes.

"I'll be fine. You almost sound like my Uncle Nick, he called today asking me to be careful. Seriously. I do these things all the time. You don't have to worry," Loki leaned into the touch.

"I always worry. You are a human, if there is a single mistake with a weapon you can ..."

"Hey, hey, look at me. I'm gonna be fine. And if not, I have your magic necklace of luck. You can be by my side in minutes."

"Alright", says the god breathing calmer. "Just promise me that you will come back in one piece"

"I promise"

"And that you are going to apologize to James for making him wait"

Tony laughs, "That too."

He presses a short kiss to Loki's lips and plays with his soft dark locks. The other man’s hands on his chest make the stupid butterflies appear on his stomach.

"Anthony Edward Stark! You better be ready to go or so help me god I'm gonna-"

Pepper's voice interrupts their moment and makes both of them laugh. They break the kiss and remain leaning on each other's forehead.

"I should go before the lady with the red hair rips my head off."

"I should go too. Mother wants to discuss something with me."

With one last kiss, they separate and before each one goes his own way, Tony makes sure to repeat his promise.

"I'll come back, Lokes. I always do"

"You better. Or I will personally kick your ass"

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" Asks Rhodey angrily.

"I know. I'm sorry. I truly am"

"Three hours man, three"

"I still think that, being my plane and all, it shouldn't be a problem to begin with, I mean-", his friend is not amused. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry"

"Loki told you to apologize, didn't he?"

"What? Why would you think he- yeah he totally did"

* * *

"Are you ever going to tell me who the person you are in love with is?"

Loki almost choked on the tea he was drinking.

"What makes you think that I am in love with someone? Better, what makes you think that there is someone, period"

"I am your mother. I know you. You have been disappearing regularly for a long time. Heimdall cannot see you, which means you are hiding where you are going. You look happier, you speak differently. You do not get in so much trouble anymore and there is a glow to your eyes that I have not seen for decades ", he blushed.

"I do not know whether to tell you or not. If the Allfather finds out, he will prevent me from seeing him again."

His mother looks at him with a soft smile, "Him?"

"Promise me that you will not inform Odin what I am going to tell you", she nods.

"Inform Odin about what?", Loki relaxed.

"His name is Anthony, and he is from Midgard"

* * *

"What's going on?"

"Contact left!"

"Jimmy, stay with Stark!"

"Stay down!"

"Son of a bitch!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Give me a gun!"

"Stay here!"

Everything happened in a matter of minutes. The humvee was attacked, the soldiers tried to fight back and Tony got out of the car only to realize that he was alone and without a way to defend himself.

Quickly, shaking, he searched around his neck for the necklace Loki had given him. Seeing that it was stuck under the bulletproof vest, he decided to rip it off.

A missile with ' _Stark Industries_ ' written on the side detonated before Tony could move away.

He was bleeding. A lot. But with the last of his strength, he looked around until he saw the familiar chain laying beside him. He took it weakly and only managed to drop a low 'Loki' before passing out.

* * *

Stab over here. Throw daggers over there. Dodge. Distract with an illusion. Fight back. Fight harder.

Loki was already tired. He, Thor, the warriors three, and Sif were fighting a group of Chitauri trying to enter Asgard. They weren't very intelligent creatures, but their armor and weapons made killing them slower.

Dodge. Stab. Throw dagger. Throw some more. "Loki" Dodg- What?

That was all it took. A second in which the whisper of his lover distracted him and there was a sword piercing him through the stomach.

"Shit"

When the chitauri removed the sword, he twisted it. Loki could feel the blood flow rapidly, the pain was piercing, but the concern for his boyfriend was much more important.

His breathing rose and his vision blurred. He felt his brother hold him and yell something at Fandral. Honestly, he didn't really know what was going on. He only knew one thing, and he muttered it repeatedly before losing consciousness, confusing everyone.

"He needs me"


	7. I promised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More complications arise. Tony is found.

When Loki woke up, the first thing he did was ask what had happened, trying to reconstruct his memory. They told him that after losing consciousness, Thor and the others took him to the palace. The sword with which they had pierced him had generated a negative reaction in his organs and he was in and out of consciousness for a month.

Hearing this, the god of mischief remembered exactly what had happened and did not wait another second to return to earth.

Loki first appeared where the necklace was, which turned out to be the middle of the desert. There it was, the pendent with Vegvísir, half buried in the sand among a bunch of scraps.  _ What the hell happened here? _

Immediately, he teleported to Malibu.

The mansion was silent and Pepper was in the living room couch crying.

"Where is he?"

"Where were you?", She asked coldly.

"I was in the middle of a battle when I heard Anthony calling me and in the distraction a sword got through me. I was unconscious all this time, it was not a normal sword. I think it was poison. I do not know for sure", her gaze softened. "Pepper, where is he?"

"Oh, Loki ..."

He started shaking, "Where- where is he? Is he- Tell me he is not- Please, tell me he is okay. Just-"

"I'm sorry Lo, the vehicles were attacked after the demonstration. Almost all the soldiers died, Rhodey only came back with some minor injuries but Tony ... he was taken"

"Taken. He was taken", he felt his entire body screaming in search of Anthony's warm hands, trying to feel whole again. "We have to find him"

"Jim is on it. He's been trying for a month but there are no signals from him. No one asked for ransom money. There's nothing out there."

"He is out there!" Tears began to fall from his eyes and he did nothing to stop them. "He is out there, do you understand? He is there, maybe alone, scared, hurt, who knows? I need to find him Pepper. I need to. He called for me and I was not there. He needed me and I- "

He broke down.

“I was not there. I promised him and I was not able to be there. It is my fault he-” 

The arms of his best friend enveloped him in a second and they both ended up sitting on the couch.

"I did not even get to tell him that I love him. I was a coward and did not tell him, thinking I was going to get another chance to do so."

"It's okay, you'll get to tell him. We're gonna find him and you're gonna tell him. Okay? We're talking about Tony here, he's probably giving them hell and trying to get back to us. He's tough and he's a damn genius. We just need to find him "

"And that is what I am going to do. Shit, how am I so stupid", he got up and almost pulled his hair out in frustration. "I just need to ask Heimdall where they are holding him!"

The secret path he took back to Asgard led him straight to the rainbow bridge, where some guards were waiting for him.

"Loki Odinson, you are charged with treason against Asgard, luring the chitauri through the wards. The Allfather requested a trial. You must wait in one of the cells."

* * *

"I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark. But they will never find you in these mountains. Look, what you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark. Your life's work, in the hands of those murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it? "

"Why should I do anything? They're going to kill me, you, either way. And if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week."

_ And Loki didn't arrive on time or maybe he didn't even arrive at all. They will never find him. They probably think he's dead. Why should he care? _

"Well, then, this is a very important week for you, isn't it?"

* * *

Loki was going crazy. He was sure it had been weeks since his return to Asgard. Since he was framed.

He tried to explain himself, but the guards paid him no attention. Heimdall didn't try to hear him either. Odin believed without hesitation that he had committed treason and his mother and Thor, inconveniently, were visiting other planets.

His mind was only on Anthony. His smart, sweet, beautiful Anthony. Where was he? Was he suffering? Was he dead? Had they found him? And if they did, did he think that Loki had abandoned him?

He was drowning in guilt.

The thousands of versions in which he was not hurt and could answer the call of his lover occupied his mind day and night. Nightmares with Anthony being the main protagonist kept him awake.

He had to go back to earth. 

He had to find him.

* * *

"You still haven't told me where you're from"

"I'm from a small town called Gulmira. It's actually a nice place"

"Got a family?"

"Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?"

"Kind of, I definitely have someone. Or had. I'm not sure"

"Why is that?"

"C'mon. It's been a long time. Do you really think he's going to be waiting for me? Me? When can he have anyone he wants?" Tony said with a self-deprecating smile.

"I believe that if he loves you, he will be there when you come back"

"That's funny. I never told him I loved him, he doesn't know that I really love him. He has no way of knowing", discreetly, Tony wiped a tear that was trying to escape.

"Then you have even more reason to escape this place alive, Stark"

* * *

When the guard appeared in his cell saying that they had found the real culprit, Loki almost ran over anyone who stood in his way.

It had been one of the guards. Tyr. It looked like he had worked under someone else's orders, but Loki couldn't care less.

Quickly, he got to the bifrost and -rambling on a bit while also throwing the occasional threat about releasing the information he was asking for- got Heimdall to give him the location.

* * *

"Come on. We got to go. Move for me, come on. We got a plan. We're gonna stick to it."

"This was always the plan, Stark."

"Come on, you're gonna go see your family. Get up."

"My family is dead. I'm going to see them now, Stark. It's okay. I want this. I want this."

"Thank you for saving me."

"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life. Tell him you love him"

* * *

"Hey!", excited and using his last drop of energy, he started jumping and screaming. "Hey!"

As one of the helicopters landed, Tony collapsed to his knees, holding up a peace sign. Rhodey and a few men ran up to him from the helicopter, his best friend falling to her knees in front of him.

"How was the ‘fun-vee’?" He laughed, "Next time, you ride with me, okay?"

Rhodey's embrace sent a wave of relief through his body and the tears he had held fell freely.

"Loki. Loki. I need- Where is- I promised him I-"

"He's okay man. He’s okay. Drained for using too much of his seiðr, but okay", Tony sighed.

He didn't know what had happened to his boyfriend. There must have been reasons for everything. Honestly, what Rhodey said about his magic didn't make much sense and Tony wasn't fit to think much at the moment.

"I'm coming home," he whispered.

"You're coming home"


	8. Welcome home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Loki reunite.

After the press conference, the chat with Obie, and the wear he had been dragging since he had been kidnapped, Tony was dead on his feet. He had never felt so exhausted before.

But all of that evaporated when he stepped through the door of his bedroom and found Loki sitting on the edge of the huge bed, watching a replay of the day's events.

"You would’ve loved the chaos I caused in that room", startled upon hearing his voice, Loki focused his gaze on him and looked disbelieving.

It only took a minute for the god to throw himself into his arms.

"Oh Norns, you are here, you came back," he mumbled while clinging desperately to his shirt. "I am sorry. I am so so sorry"

Tony could feel a wet spot on the shoulder where Loki was hiding his face from him and felt tears of relief run down his cheeks. He finally had him in his arms. "You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. Nothing. And I promised you I'd come back, didn’t I?"

Loki moved to get a good look at him. With his hands clasped behind his neck, he began to spread little kisses all over his face.

"Do. not. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Ever. Again." he said between each kiss. "I cannot lose you, Anthony"

Finally, for the first time in three months, they kissed. It was sweet, desperate and full of feelings. Pressed into each other, both were trying to feel the presence of the other, to express things that they couldn’t explain.

"Gosh, I love you so much, Lokes"

The words escaped his lips before Tony could even try to stop them. But it felt right.

"I love you too. More than I have ever loved anyone in my entire life"

"Damn, that's a long-ass time. I feel honored," his boyfriend giggled and rested his forehead on his shoulder again. He felt Loki's hands land on his chest and he stiffened.

_ Shit _ .

"Wha- what in the name of Norns is that?" There was fear in those beautiful green eyes. Tony let out a shaky breath. "What did they do to you?" His voice was so soft that he hardly heard it.

"Come to bed with me, honey. We have a lot to talk about", taking his hand, he guided him to the bed where they lay down. Once there, Loki snuggled next to him. His hand over his heart, as if he wanted to make sure he was still beating. "And I'm not the only one, a little bird told me that these three months weren’t kind to you either. Care to share with the class?"

And that's what they did.

First, Loki recounted all the events from when he heard the call for help until he was able to find the exact location where Tony was. Needless to say, Tony was furious when he heard all that. He wanted to beat up Odin and all the morons that resided in Asgard. He blamed himself for the injury he received in battle. And as if that weren't enough, he, too, blamed himself for the wear and tear of his magic.

"I did what had to be done. I blasted my way out of there, I teleported to every place I needed and I found you. Believe me, that is not what usually happens. It only did because I spent two and a half months in a cell that dampened my seiðr. I swear I am fine, love "

To say that Loki was angry to hear what had happened in that cave in Afghanistan was an understatement. He was livid. Tony could swear his eyes had glowed red for a second.

He tried to spare him the details. At first he left out the fact that they operated on him without anesthesia, that he had spent a good part of the procedure awake, that he had been tortured ... that he had thought about giving up. But the other man knew him too well. He noticed that he was hiding important parts of the story. So he caved and told him everything.

For a while, they both cried in each other's arms until they felt dry and their eyes burned from the effort. Then they moved on to little kisses, gentle touches and reassuring words.

Tony's eyelids grew heavy over time and Loki noticed.

"You can sleep now, Anthony. You are safe. I will be by your side the entire time", holding on to one of his boyfriend's hands and feeling the weight of the other on the arc reactor, Tony finally closed his eyes .

He only managed to hear one thing before falling completely asleep.

"Welcome home, my love"

* * *

"I cannot believe you made Pepper change the reactor. What were you thinking? I could have done it, I have experience with situations like that."

"First of all, that’s disturbing. Second of all, I don't know why you're upset. Everything went fine. It was safe."

"It was safe? Pepper said you went into cardiac arrest! Are you mad?"

"Okay, maybe it wasn't completely safe, but I just- can you stop hitting me? I just wanted to change it as soon as possible and you were with Happy and you were having a good time and I didn't really want to interrupt you when- seriously, stop hitting me. Jesus Christ. "

Loki glared at him.

"I promise the next time I need someone to reach into my chest and search my insides for an exposed wire, you'll be the first one I call. What do ya think ‘bout that, babe?" He felt another blow on his arm. "Hey! Careful, I'm fragile. Honestly, I thought you loved me"

His boyfriend buried him ten meters underground with his gaze and Tony pretended to be offended.

"Can you believe that, JARVIS?"

"Unbelievable, sir. Although, I must suggest, next time you want to go into cardiac arrest you should let me know. I am sure I can find safer ways to do it"

"Traitor"

* * *

"Next. Up. Not in the boot, Dummy. Right here. You got me? Stay put. Nice. You're of no benefit at all. Move down to the toe. I got this. Okay, I'm sorry, am I in your way? Up. Screw it. Don't even move. "

From a corner of the workshop, Loki watched as Tony worked on his new suit. Curiosity had won over the worry that his boyfriend would get hurt wearing that suit of his. So there he was, playing fetch with Butterfingers and U.

"You are a tragedy."

"Do not talk to your child like that, Anthony. Poor Dum-E is not to blame for your impatience"

"You know I'm not serious. And I’m not impatient"

"Come with us Dum-E, leave the bad man to work alone"

Whirring happily, the bot approached his siblings and took the tennis ball they were using just to throw it at Loki.

"Are you seeing this, J? My own kids, ganging up on me"

"I am sorry, sir. Could you repeat that? I was busy watching U play catch with Dum-E"

Tony gaped and Loki cackled, "Betrayed by my own children. Who would have thought?"

* * *

"I do not like Obadiah one bit. There is something wrong with him."

"Yeah, he's an asshole. That’s what’s wrong. But he's the only kind of father figure Tony has," Rhodey said over the phone.

"Hmn"

"Look man, I don't like him either, but Tony knows him since he was a kid. I don't trust the man, but I sure as hell trust my best friend"

Loki sighed defeated, "You are right. I hate when other people are right. It does not happen often"

"I'll take that as a compliment", he laughed. " Don’t let him blow up too much stuff. Take care of him while I'm away."

"Always"

* * *

"Notes. Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic. I'm thinking icing is the probable factor."

"A very astute observation, sir. Perhaps, if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exo-systems."

"What are you talking about JARVIS? Other planets? Is that the reason why there is a hole in the ceiling and the piano is smashed?"

"Connect to the sys. Co. Have it reconfigure the shell metals.Use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite. That should ensure a fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio. Got it?"

"Yes."

"I'm fine, babe. I'm better than fine. I can fly!" Tony said, showing him a million dollar smile.

Loki, knowing that he was not going to get anywhere arguing, approached the genius, sat on his lap and pecked his lips. "I knew you could do it. I just wish you were more careful."

"I am careful. I have J in the suit. How more careful can I be?"

"He is right, Mr Loki. I promise I look out for him. In another note, shall I render using proposed specifications, sir?"

"Thrill me"

On television, a reporter was talking about Tony's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund. It was live, and Tony hadn't been invited to his own event.

"What do you think, honey? Should I honor them with my presence?"

"Definitely"

"I wish you could go with me, though. I want to show off my gorgeous man", mischief danced in the god's eyes.

"Who said I couldn't go?"


	9. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Loki go to the benefit. Obadiah shows his true colors.

Okay. Let's be honest. Tony was a little shocked when Loki demonstrated his shape-shifting ability. Can you even blame him? After so long, his boyfriend had forgotten to mention that little detail. Nothing important.

Once he had arrived at the gala— and after a short exchange of words with Obie — he headed to the bar. As usual.

"Give me a scotch. I'm starving"

The bartender looked at him amusedly and said, "You know, when someone is hungry they usually ask for food, not alcohol."

"I'm sorry, did I ask for your opinion? Because I thought I only asked for my drink."

"Cheer up, you look like you do not want to be here"

"That's cause I don't", he said distractedly.

"If that is the case, then maybe you can go home with me," said the bartender with a smirk plastered on his face, finally getting his attention.

"No can do, I'm taken. Sorry not sorry. Plus, I don't even know your name"

"I am Lukas," he said with a glint in his green eyes. "No last name"

Tony almost spits out his drink at the laugh that escaped him, "You little shit"

"I am the god of mischief, love. Not going to lie, I am a little disappointed, Anthony. I thought you were going to recognize me faster"

"We can't have that, can't we? I'm sure we can fix that disappointment when we get home," he said.

Loki looked at him playfully, "I am sure we can. I heard you were quite good at that" He looked over his shoulder and said, "But now, it seems like a government agent wants to talk to you."

"Ugh, I hate government agents"

"See you around, Stark"

Before the god disappeared from sight, he yelled, "You're gonna pay for that later"

Agent Phil Coulson asked him for an appointment to talk about Afghanistan and, distracted by the presence of a beautiful woman with dark hair and pale skin, he sent him to speak with Pepper. After all, she was the one running his schedule.

The woman was staring at him almost unblinking, which would have been creepy if he hadn't realized that her green eyes and her smile were ones he knew like the back of his hand.

With a short nod, Loki invited him out onto the balcony and, as always, Tony followed in his footsteps.

"When I think you can't surprise me anymore, you go and become the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he said, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him closer until their foreheads touched.

To Tony's delight, Loki blushed. "It is just me, Anthony. Not much has changed. Just a little more feminine."

"Exactly. Female or male, you're still the most gorgeous being in the universe."

With sparkling eyes, they kissed. And then they kissed again. And again. And again. Until a cough interrupted them and they saw Pepper staring at them unimpressed. They giggled like teenagers.

"I thought the honeymoon stage ended in the first months of a relationship"

"How is it going to end when I have the sweetest boyfriend ever? Also, he’s hot" Tony said, making Loki's cheeks warm for the second time.

"You guys are adorable. It's disgusting", they all laughed. "Tony, there are a lot of people in there wanting to talk to you"

"I don't want to talk to them"

"Come on, just come in for an hour. That’s all I ask. An hour and I'll let you go home."

"Half an hour"

"Forty minutes and you have a deal"

He huffed in defeat, "Fine"

"You do that. I am going back to the mansion. Dum-E, U, Butterfingers and I have an episode of Friends to watch. JARVIS too"

* * *

When Tony returned to the mansion, he was shaking with fury.

That's when Loki found out that Obadiah Stane was the one who filed the injunction against his lover. 

He wanted to send the asshole to another galaxy. 

How dare he betray Anthony like that? And sell weapons under the table? That dirty bastard wasn't going to see the light of day again once he found him.

But, with all the desire that the god had to hunt the man, he restrained himself. He stayed by Anthony's side, calming him down. Assuring him it wasn’t his fault if he hadn’t noticed such betrayal earlier.

The next day, Loki's heart broke.

When Tony saw the report about Gulmira on the news, his face showed no emotion, but his eyes were darker than he had ever seen them before. And when, seeing his reflection in the glass, he shot the image with the repulsor, his heart shattered.

There was so much hatred and guilt in his expression that Loki didn't even try to stop him when he put on the suit and headed out to where the terrorists were. He stored his concern in a box and asked JARVIS to keep him updated on the situation.

He knew that he could have teleported to Gulmira and gotten rid of the terrorists by himself, but he also knew that this was something Anthony had to do or he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

* * *

"Your boyfriend almost got blown up by the military"

Loki closed his eyes and sighed tiredly, "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"That may be due to sir's constant reckless attitude, Mr Loki. After two years of knowing him you should be aware of that."

Rhodey laughed from the other side of the phone, "JARVIS, since when are you so sassy?"

"Since the day I was born. After all, I am one of Tony Stark's creations"

"Only Tony would create an AI that is as insufferable as him"

"I will remember that, Colonel. Do not be surprised when the next time you visit the mansion your internet is down"

"Shit"

* * *

Tony had sent Pepper to hack one of the computers in SI and, knowing that it was not entirely safe, Loki went with her disguised as a man with short blond hair.

The offices were empty, which made them more uneasy than they already were. "I will watch the front door, you go in and transfer the files to the USB so we can get the hell out of here"

They both took their places. Loki stayed on the stairs from where she could see who was coming and going, and Pepper went to the office. After a few minutes, he sensed the presence of another person. 

Phil Coulson.

"Can I help you with something, gentleman?"

He smiled, "I'm waiting for Miss Potts. I had an appointment."

"Oh, yes. She said something about that. She'll be here in a minute."

As if he had summoned her, Pepper appeared rushing down the stairs and looking over her shoulder in fear.

"What happened? Are you okay? Did you get it?"

She looked into his eyes worried, "He’s here. He’s the one behind Tony's kidnapping. Obadiah asked the Ten Rings to assassinate him."

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," he said, barely holding back the fury that filled him inside.

"Agent Coulson, we're going to have that appointment right now."

"Right now?"

"Right now. Luke, Obadiah is most likely in the factory right now," said Pepper with a pointed look. He could read between the lines, he knew what she expected, and he had no problem following her instructions.

When he teleported to the factory, there was no one in sight. 

Maybe he was on his way.

Then, a dreadful feeling crept up his spine.

Or maybe he wasn't heading to the factory.

_ Oh Norns. Anthony. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the end of Iron Man 1!!


	10. I am Iron Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final fight, a press conference and Fury visits Tony

Loki froze for a second.

His breath rose and his hands trembled.

But it was only for a second.

Once the shock evaporated, he ran to the couch where Tony was lying paralyzed, his face gray and with a hole in his chest where the arc reactor should have been.

"Anthony, what- how- that foul traitor", shaking, he carefully cupped his face to direct his gaze to him. "You are gonna be okay, love. You are going to be okay. I will make sure of that"

Within a minute, Loki had teleported to the workshop, grabbed the arc reactor Dum-E was already handing him - the one with 'Proof that Tony Stark has a heart' written around it - and returned to the living room.

Carefully, he placed the piece of tech in its place and only when he heard a 'click' and the sudden intake of breath from his lover could he calm down.

Shivering, he laid his forehead on the genius's chest and breathed in his essence. "Oh Norns, I thought I was losing you," he said, feeling a hand stroking his hair gently. "I love you so much, Anthony"

"I love you too sweetheart", after a short silence, Tony jumped up from the couch. "Where's Pepper?"

At that very moment, Rhodey appeared with a worried look. "She’s on her way to the factory with some agents. They're going to arrest Obadiah."

"That won't be enough", darkness in his eyes

"You are not going alone. Not this time. I am going too"

"No way"

Loki shot him a dry look, "Are you deliberately forgetting the fact that I am not from this planet? I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, yeah, you have super strength, green sparkles and what not. We know. No need to gloat about it," he replied with a sly smile.

"What do you need me to do, Tones?"

"Keep the skies clear"

* * *

"Tony! Tony, are you okay?" He heard Pepper's frenzied voice say.

"I'm fine. How are-"

"Obadiah, he's gone insane!"

"I know. Listen, you'd better get out of there. Loki is going to take you to your house. We'll take care of this."

"He built a suit. A huge one at that"

"Get out of there right now! Babe, get her out of here!"

Tony saw the exact moment when Loki disappeared with Pepper and a weight fell off him. At least she was going to be in a safe place.

* * *

That man was going to be the death of him.

Seeing Tony falling from the sky in a nearly powerless suit had made Loki act on instinct and use his magic to slow the fall. He just hoped no one would’ve noticed.

"Shit, how is the bastard still alive?", He could hear Tony from the comms he had given him before leaving.

"I'm going up"

"No! I need you there to be my backup okay?"

Loki clenched his jaw and muttered, "Fine"

After a while fighting - Tony fought with Obadiah physically while he threw blasts of seiðr against him from where he was - his boyfriend gave him instructions.

"This isn't working. We're going to have to overload the reactor and blast the roof."

"Well, how are you going to do that?"

"You're going to do it. Go to the central console, open up all the circuits. When I get clear of the roof, I'll let you know. You're going to hit the master bypass button. It's going to fry everything up here. "

"Okay. I am going in now"

"Make sure you wait till I clear the roof. I'll buy you some time"

Right at the moment the glass above fell on him, Loki had used his magic to activate all the switches. He could see Tony's body hanging dangerously from what was left of the ceiling.

"It is ready, Anthony! Get off the roof!"

"Lokes! Time to hit the button!"

"You told me not to!"

"Just do it!"

"I am so going to kill you after this", with one hand, Loki pressed the button, and with the other, he used his seiðr to wrap Tony around and make sure he was safe from the explosion.

When he appeared next to his lover, he threw himself into his arms to give him a quick hug and then pulled away just to smack him on the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"That was for being an inconsiderate moron. You almost died on me one too many times today."

"Fair enough," he said with an airy laugh that he followed with a kiss. "Let's go home, we'll take care of the aftermath tomorrow"

* * *

"You know, it's actually not that bad. Even I don't think I'm Iron Man."

"You're not Iron Man”, said Pepper.

"Am so."

"You are not," he replied, sitting on Tony’s lap and playing with the little strands of hair at the nape of his neck.

"All right, suit yourself", he put the journal on the ground and wrapped his arms around his waist. "You know, if I were Iron Man, I'd have this boyfriend who knew my true identity. He'd be a wreck, 'cause he'd always be worrying that I was going to die, yet so proud of the man I'd become. He'd be wildly conflicted, which would only make him more crazy about me. "

Although that was said as a joke, Loki could sense the subtle insecurity hidden in fine print.

"I am proud of you, Anthony. Incredibly so. The fact that I am concerned that you will get hurt or die does not take away the fact that I am extremely proud of you."

The world disappeared for a moment. It was just the two of them. No reporters, government agents or nosy friends.

Loki pecked his cheek and said, "The 90 seconds are up"

"Show time", he kissed him one more time and left.

"Good luck!"

* * *

Pepper and Loki were standing behind the reporters - he had changed into a short brown-haired woman. Rhodey was by Tony's side, whispering to him to go ahead with the plan.

"Hopefully, he is going to stick to the cards"

"The truth is ... I am Iron Man"

Pepper gasped and he face-palmed, "Go figure."

* * *

Giggles could be heard in the mansion. Loki and Tony came in kissing and bumping into everything in the way. They were happy and, for the first time since that day of the demonstration in Afghanistan, they could enjoy the moment without expecting the worst.

That was until the god felt his senses sharpen. "There's someone else here," he said, dagger already looming steady in his hand.

Cautiously, they moved into the kitchen where a man was staring out the window.

" 'I am Iron Man.' You think you're the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet. "

"Mr. Stark? Really?" He snorted and made Loki lower the dagger. "C'mon Uncle Nick, if you're going to break into my house you could at least call me by my name"

"I called you Mr. Stark because you just pulled a stunt that your father would have made. Also, it adds to the dramatic effect. Anyway, have you lost your marbles?"

"Look, if the public knows I'm the person under the suit, they can regulate me. People can tell me when I'm doing things right and when I'm fucking things up. It's a win win situation. That’s why I said what I said."

Fury pinched his nose frustrated, "There's nothing I can say to make you stop, is there?"

"Nope"

"Then I guess you have to introduce me to tall-and-dark over there, or is he another one of your one night stands?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "Uncle Nick, this is Loki. Loki, this is my uncle Nick Fury"

"It is a pleasure"

They shook hands and the god showed his most charming smile. It had been a long time since he was introduced to someone close to Tony, he had to give a good impression.

"So, not a one night stand? That's new"

"Not so much. We've been together for ... what? About two years?"

"That seems about right"

Fury shot him a hard look, "You’re telling me that you've been together with this man for two years and it didn't occur to you for a minute that I'd like to know what's up with your life?"

"I thought that being the director of your secret-not-so-secret agency you had already found out," Tony said amused.

"Unbelievable"

"We're gonna have pizza for dinner, wanna join us?"

"Are you going to make the pizzas yourself?"

"Believe me Mr. Fury, JARVIS and I have forbidden him to cook. He is not going near an oven ever again"

"Then yes. I have to talk to you anyway. And please, call me Nick. If you’ve been with the brat for two years then I guess you're already part of the family. Only God knows how you put up with him"

Loki laughed and Tony glared at him, "Are you going to tell me what you had to say or do I have to wait? You know? For the dramatic effect"

"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."


	11. Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit happens

"I don’t want you to go"

Three months had passed since the 'I am Iron Man' incident. Tony was snuggled under Loki's arm, his head on the god's chest, both of them lying on their bed.

"You know I have to, the preparations for Thor's coronation are going to begin and I need time to make our father understand that my brother is not ready to be king. Not yet"

"What's wrong with Thor being king? The guy takes care of Asgard and you can spend more time here with me. There are no downsides."

"The downside is that my people are left following a cocky, capricious, and foolish oaf. A man that loves fighting and going into battle with a hundred soldiers"

"Is he really that bad?"

Loki sighed, "Yes, but I know he can improve. He just needs time to see the things he needs to change."

"You would be a good king"

"I know," he replied smugly. "But I do not want to be one. When I was a child, yes, it was everything I wanted. Over time I understood that I am not good enough to rule. I cannot sit on the throne all day, how can I cause mischief from there?"

They were silent for a while, both thinking about the month that was coming up.

"I'm going to miss you," Tony said, moving a little to give him a kiss under the ear. He hid his face in Loki's neck and felt him plant a kiss on his head. "Promise you'll come back"

"I promise, Anthony. I too will miss you. A lot"

"You better. And try not to take too long"

"Regardless of how long it takes me, when I return we will have all the time in the world to be together"

Tony tensed, "Right. You're right. All the time in the world."

Meanwhile, down in his workshop, JARVIS continued to search for a suitable item to replace the palladium that was saving and killing his creator.

* * *

A week since Loki left and Tony already felt like crawling up the walls.

He was always looking for something to occupy his mind with, a distraction. That's why the expo suited him so well. He immersed himself in planning the event and put everything else low on the priority list.

His health was slowly but surely deteriorating. Black lines began to appear surrounding the reactor on his chest and, only when he remembered them, Tony appreciated the absence of his boyfriend.

He was trying to organize his life. Especially when JARVIS had not yet found a suitable element for the reactor. Rewriting his will, investigating everything he had to do with his inheritance, who was going to take over the company and a hundred other things. Everything was done under wraps, lest someone find out what was really happening.

* * *

One week. Loki had been in Asgard for a week and already wanted to go home.

Don't get him wrong. Seeing his mother was a joy in itself, but dealing with the stubborn Allfather who refused to see reason about Thor's coronation was exhausting. 

His brother was in Alfheim doing errands for the queen, for which Loki was relieved. He could handle Odin without a problem, but Odin and his brother weren't a combination he missed.

Who he did miss like crazy was Anthony.

Every morning he would wake up expecting to see those sweet brown eyes next to him only to find himself alone in bed. He had breakfast expecting to see him come in disheveled and with a cup of coffee in hand. Everything made him think about the genius.

He also missed Pepper. And Happy. And James. JARVIS. The bots ... oh wow.

That's when Loki had the realization that he was no longer alone. He had a lot of lovely people waiting for him.

And, somehow, he knew that if he needed them, they would be there.

* * *

"Please, if your priority was actually the well-being of the American citizen-"

"My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America," the senator said.

"Well, you can forget it. I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending or what state you're in . You can't have it. "

"Look, I'm no expert-"

"In prostitution? Of course not. You’re a senator. Come on."

Tony knew that Pepper was going to murder him because of how he was handling the situation, but he really didn't care.

Nothing mattered to him. Not anymore.

He was dying. 

He was dying and couldn't find the cure.

Maybe Loki with his magic could remove the shrapnel on his chest and so the reactor could go away, but that was very unlikely. And, considering that the god was not in the city, let alone on the planet, that option had evaporated the second it crossed his head.

Fuck.

* * *

Dammit.

Everything was going perfectly.

The coronation had been canceled, his father had realized that Thor was not ready to be king, no one had found out about his plan and now he could go home.

That was until his brother decided to take the war to Jotunheim.

That was not what Loki wanted and he let him know. He told him it was a stupid idea. That's what he believed, especially now that Tony's voice whispered in his head that war and destruction were not the way to solve problems. But he accompanied him and the four idiots of his friends anyway. Someone had to be the mediator so the situation didn’t get out of hand.

Although he was confident in his ability to get out of tricky situations, he advised a guard where they were going and for what. With a bit of luck, the Allfather would help him stop this nonsense.

And so it was, although a little late.

At first, Loki thought that they would be able to leave without spilling even a drop of blood, but then King Laufey just had to call Thor 'princess'. Damn him.

A battle broke out and, among all the mess, a Jotun grabbed him by the arm.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

His arm turned blue.

He couldn’t breath.

From there, everything was fuzzy. Odin rescued them, they returned to Asgard, and the three royalty stayed at the bifrost to discuss what had happened.

The Allfather was furious. But first, he told him about his true heritage when he asked him.

_ "The Casket was not the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?"  _

_ "No. I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring - abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son." _

_ "You took me for a purpose, what was it? Tell me!" _

__

_ "I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace... through you. But those plans no longer matter." _

_ “You could have told me what I was from the beginning. Why didn't you?” _

_ “You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth.” _

But now, both brothers received the screams of his father who, in addition to being angry with Thor, was now also angry with him because a guard told him that he had been the one who let frost giants enter the palace.

"I cast you out!" Odin thrusted Mjolnir before him and - with a crack of thunder- Thor and Loki were hurled backwards into the open Bifrost and disappeared in the vortex.

* * *

Tony was drinking his glass of disgusting chlorophyll when the phone rang. Unknown number.

"You have reached Tony Stark's phone, if you have something to say, please-"

"Oh come on! Shit", interrupted the voice from the other side.

"-leave a message. Wait a fucking second. Loki?"

"Hello, my love"


	12. Tony to the rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki meets new people and Tony comes to his aid

"Finally. Thank you, I could not bear the sound of his voice anymore", said Loki making his presence known.

As soon as they had touched the ground, with just a glance around him, he had realized they were in Midgard. Although he was still affected by the recent truths that Odin had revealed to him, Loki could not contain the feeling of relief and happiness that filled him. They were in Midgar. That meant he could be with Anthony without problems.  _ Thank the Norns. _ If it hadn't been like that, he didn't know what he would’ve done.

It is true that seeing Thor so confused after being run over by those humans and talking to the air asking for Heimdall was fun, but the headache that was growing strongly prevented him from laughing - the realization that his seiðr was weakened didn't help either.

"And who are you?" Asked the woman who was inspecting her brother.

Loki ignored the question and said, "I need a phone. Also, can someone tell me where on earth we are?"

"New Mexico," said the man. "Why should we give you a phone? How do we know you aren’t going to rob us?"

"Why would I want to steal your phone? That would be stupid. And I need to call someone, is that not what you do with that device?"

"The handsome man has a point," said the taser girl. "What?" She asked as she felt the disapproving looks from her friends. "I’m just stating the facts"

In the end, and under certain threats, they decided to give him one.

"I see you have a StarkPhone," he commented with a smirk. "Smart lady"

Loki thanked the heavens - or rather Pepper Potts - for the moment he had decided to memorize Anthony's number.

"You have reached Tony Stark's phone, if you have something to say, please-"

"Oh come on! Shit"

"-leave a message. Wait a fucking second. Loki?" He closed his eyes relieved.

"Hello, my love", the god felt the gazes of strangers on him.

"Loki, what the fuck ?!" He pulled the phone away from his ear a bit to avoid going deaf. "Where are you? Why didn't you come home if you were on the planet?"

"That is kind of a long story," he said exhausted. "In short, things in Asgard went to shit and Thor and I were banished. We landed in New Mexico and I cannot teleport because my seiðr took a hit."

Anthony was silent for a second, "Well, shit. Okay, don’t panic. This is what we're gonna do. You're going to find a place to spend the night and tomorrow I'll use the private plane to pick you up. Cool?"

Loki smiled tiredly, "Cool"

"Are you alright honey? You sound a little off"

"To be honest? No, I am not alright. But I am going to be, I just need time. And to go home."

"You hang on tight, babe. I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay?"

"Okay"

"I love you"

"Love you too"

The call ended and the strangers looked at him curiously.

"So, our transportation does not arrive until tomorrow. Any idea where we can spend the night?" He asked politely. "I am Loki, by the way. And that oaf on the floor is my bro- is Thor"

A spark of recognition and disbelief flared in the strange man's eyes, "Thor and Loki? Like in Norse mythology?"

A sideways smile took place on his face, "Indeed. Are you familiar with those myths?"

"Of course"

Taking this to his advantage, Loki gathered some magic and changed his outfit to a more human one. One of Anthony's band T-shirts and a pair of jeans replacing the Asgardian armor.

The three humans gaped at him but recovered quickly, "I'm Jane. That one with the taser is Darcy and this is Erik."

"A pleasure to meet you. Now, do you mind taking us to town? I do not own a car nor do I know how to drive one"

* * *

The brothers ended up staying with their new acquaintances.

Loki took some time to explain Thor where they had ended up and that he was already taking care of the situation. The blonde wasn't happy with the news, but he didn't say it out loud, just grunted and gobbled up the pizza Darcy had ordered.

"So, do you really want me to believe that tomorrow Tony Stark is coming to pick you two up?" Jane asked.

"Yes"

"You mean Iron Man? The owner of Stark Industries? That Tony Stark?"

"The one and only"

"No way"

"So you believe me when I say that I come from another planet but not when I say that I know Tony Stark? What a strange human"

"Brother, who is this son of Stark you are speaking of?"

"Not your brother", Thor looked at him sadly. “And do not call him that again, he does not like to be reminded of his father”

"Who’s Tony Stark?! Only one of the richest, cooler and more handsome men to ever exist," said Darcy.

"One of the brightest minds too," added Selvig.

"Someone I would love to work with"

"Maybe you can, Miss Foster."

She laughed dryly, "Sure, only in my dreams."

* * *

When Tony got off the plane and saw Loki waiting for him, wearing one of his T-shirts and with a tired expression, he couldn't resist the urge to run up to him and wrap his arms around him.

"Hi, Lokes. I missed you", the god put more strength in the hug and hid his face in the crook of his neck. "Everything's going to be fine, babe. When we get home we're going to snuggle up in bed and you're going to let go of all the feelings that I know you've got stuck. Deal?"

"Deal," he said, pulling away from his arms.

That's when Tony paid attention to the four figures who looked at them between shocked and confused.

"Hey!", The Starks' patented smile appeared. "So you guys are the ones who took care of my boy here. I hope he was good and didn't cause a lot of mischief," he said playfully only to get elbowed in the ribs. "Ouch! How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fragile? Jeez. Anyway, I'm Tony."

Loki had a smug face at the dumbfounded faces of the others who, after a while, eagerly introduced themselves to the genius. Everyone except his brother.

"And you must be Thor, what with your blond hair and those muscles. Honestly, are all aliens that tall? I feel left out. It doesn't matter. I'm not going to be intimidated. I have like a thousand and one questions about your powers with lightning, how does that even work? Do you control the thunder? Or does the hammer do it? If you don't have the hammer, are you still the god of thunder? What about-”

"Love, this is not the time to go full on crazy scientist"

"You're right. Come on, get on the plane. We're going to Malibu. If you three want, you can come too."

"Really?" Darcy asked excitedly. "That would be so cool"

"Sure, you guys are all smart. I don't get a chance to be around people like that regularly. A change would be nice. You can even use the SI research labs."

After Jane, Darcy and Selvig assembled a bag of essentials and loaded certain equipment onto the plane, the six of them left for California.

"Has something interesting happened this month that I was not there? You did not set the house on fire, did you?"

"Nope, there were only two explosions in the workshop. I tried cooking again but it didn't work out. Dum-E took care of the fire," he said proudly. "Obviously, the show at the Expo went off without a hitch and the next day I got a senator to swear at me on national television. Oh, and I also made Pepper CEO."

Loki looked at him blankly, "A month. I leave you alone for a month and you- ugh, whatever. I am not even surprised."

"He speaks in riddles, brother. How can you understand what he says?"

"I understand because I have known him for three years. And I am not your brother."

  
_ Uh, maybe things in Asgard turned out worse than he imagined _ .


	13. When the dam breaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* 
> 
> Fellings, feelings and more feelings.

Once in Malibu it was easy to get organized. First, they stopped by the mansion, had lunch with Pepper and Happy, and chatted for a while. Jane and the others decided to find a hotel because they did not want to impose themselves or take advantage of their hospitality. Thor went with them by choice of Loki, who had not spoken to his brother more than necessary.

At night, before they left for the hotel, Tony managed to give a piece of his mind to the god of thunder.

"Listen carefully, big guy. I don't care if you're a god, or if you have super strength, or if you are as tall as a tree. If you make Loki sad, if you make him upset, if I see him shed one single fucking tear because of you, I'm gonna put your head through a wall and then blast your ass to kingdom come. Believe me buddy, I don't need a fancy magic hammer to do that. Got it? "

Thor laughed out loud, put one of his big hands on one of his shoulders, smiled and said, "I can see you are a brave warrior Stark, I am happy my brother has someone who loves him fiercely. I do not intend to harm him... If I do then you are most welcome to put my head through any wall you want. "

Amazed by how that conversation had turned out, Tony went to his room where, JARVIS had said, was his boyfriend. 

As always, the AI was right.

Loki was sitting in the middle of the bed, his knees pulled up to his chest, his arms resting there and a haunted expression in his eyes.

Without even thinking about it, the genius took his place behind the god, leaving him sitting in the gap between his legs and wrapping him in his arms. "Oh, Lokes. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I am- Odin said he- That I-", he felt the god tremble. "I am a monster", he whispered.

"What? No, no, no. Honey, no. You are not a monster."

Tony scooped him up and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, thus ending up with the dark-haired man on his lap. His legs on either side of his thighs, facing him.

"You could never be a monster. Why would you even think that?", he cupped his face and wiped a tear with his thumb.

"Odin told me the truth. He said... he... I am not his son. I am Laufey’s son", Tony blinked at that but didn't say a thing.

After releasing that initial sentence, Loki recounted the events that occurred in Asgard, stumbling, between sobs. With a cheek resting on his shoulder and a hand playing with his fingers.

"I guess it makes sense why I was always different to everyone else. I am nothing but a monster parents tell their children about at night," he felt the sorcerer trying to get away from him. "I understand if you do not want to be with me any more. The Norns know I would not blame you for it"

"Now you're just being stupid", he kissed him, rested his forhead in his and then said softly, "I don't care if you are asgardian, Jotun, human or a snake, okay? I love you, Lokes. I am in love with you, when are you going to get that through that thick skull of yours? There is nothing in this universe that's gonna make me want to leave you. Not if I have a say on it." Tears marked trails on his boyfriend's cheeks and Tony's heart broke a little.

"How can you still think that after what I told you?"

"Because I know you. You are no monster, love. Not even close to one. Obadiah was a monster. The ten rings were full of monsters. But you? You are Loki, no last name", he said receiving a small and wet laugh. "You are the one that saved me from dying on that roof. The one that gave me a reason to escape that cave. The one that loves my bots without thinking it weird. The one that's always, always by my side. Now, that doesn’t sound much like a monster, right?"

Loki looked at him frowning, "But everyone on Asgard said-"

"Didn't Asgard have a war with the jotuns? Of course they would think they're all monsters. But you can't truly think that every single individual from a species is evil. Look at us humans. There's people that enjoy killing and hurting, would you say all humans are monsters because of those few?", his boyfriend shook his head. "Exactly. You're not one just because you're a Jotun. Besides, I don't even know what a jotun looks like''

"Blue", he heard so low that he hardly caught it.

"Huh, bet that'd be a hot look on you"

Loki blushed and kissed him deeply, "Thank you, Anthony. I- I was not handling well. My thoughts were going to some dark places"

"I'm here for you, babe. Always", humming softly, he kissed him again. And then... one of Loki's hands landed on the reactor and Tony flinched.

_ Shit _ .

"Anthony? Are you okay? Is there something wrong?" He asked cautiously.

He sighed. He knew he was gonna have to tell him at some point or he'd figure it out on his own, but he was counting on a little more time.

"I need to tell you something, and you're not gonna like it. It took me a while to come to terms with it and I know you have a lot on your plate right now but I have to tell you because you always tell me when something is wrong and I know you would be angry if I kept it a secret so I’m gonna tell you and I know you’re gonna freak out cause I’m freaking out and- "

"Darling, breath." He did as asked and closed his eyes.

"I guess it's easier if I show you."

With this, Tony moved just enough to remove his shirt. Loki gasped. His eyes filled with tears again and a hand covered his mouth.

"What- Oh my- Anthony you- no. Please tell me you are not going to ..."

A trembling hand began to carefully trace the lines on his chest and he felt the lump in his throat widen.

"Palladium poisoning. My blood is- I tried finding a replacement but- and it's funny cause although it's k-killing me it is also the thing keeping me alive, you know? But there's no cure and I-", he finally broke. "I don't want to die, Lokes. I don't want to leave you"

With his face on the chest of god and clinging to him as if it were the last time, Tony let out all the feelings that he had been accumulating since he found out that he didn’t have much time left. 

He sobbed like a little kid until there were no more tears available in his system.

"Oh, Anthony, love, since when do you know?"

"A few days before you left. I didn’t want to worry you, I thought I was gonna find a replacement for the palladium. I'm sorry. I don’t know how to tell you. I’m so sorry."

"Shh, it's okay my love. You have nothing to apologize for. You are gonna be okay. We are going to figure this out."

"How?"

"This is the moment when I regret not having learned more about seiðr healing," he mumbled upset. "It does not matter. We are both smart, we can solve this. We have to. We have to find a way to- I have to find a way to- I cannot lose you Anthony. Not you."

They both cried some more and decided to go to sleep, emotionally drained and exhausted.

Cuddled up to his boyfriend, before falling asleep, Tony felt a kiss on his forehead and the voice of the god whispering a last sentence.

"The sun will shine on us again, my love. I promise. We are going to be okay. We have to”, he gently caressed his cheek. “Please, be okay. Please. Do not leave me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit, I cried writing this. I hope it turned out okay in the end ♥


	14. A new enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natalie Rushman makes an appearance and Tony almost got killed again.

Since that night full of revelations, Loki clung to Tony as much as he could. He went everywhere with him, always disguised as someone else. This time, he was a tan-skinned woman with dark curly hair.

"You're ogling him," Pepper said.

"Can you blame me? Look at him"

Tony was boxing with Happy in the ring and Loki couldn't take his eyes off him. Partly because he was afraid that he would collapse on the spot and partly because he looked damn hot.

"Ew, no thanks. Now Happy... that sounds more likely."

"Now I am the one who has to say ew. Wait, Happy? Really?", Pepper blushed slightly. "What am I saying? Of course you like Happy. How did I not notice before?"

Her friend's laugh was interrupted by a red-haired woman entering the training room.

"The notary’s here! Tony, can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?"

"I'm on Happy time," he replied. He then elbowed his bodyguard in the face and Loki had to suppress a laugh.

"What the hell was that?"

"It's called mixed martial arts. It's been around for three weeks."

"It’s called dirty boxing, there’s nothing new about it"

"As there is nothing new in him playing dirty", added the god.

"Hey! None of that. You are supposed to be on my team", Loki shrugged. "Honestly, no one is ever on my side in these kinds of discussions. All right, put them up. Come on."

The notary, who until now had been subtly observing everything, approached Pepper to make her sign some papers about the change of command in the company.

In the ring, Tony had been distracted looking at him, and he knew it, so he looked back with intensity and sent him a wink. This made Happy smack him on the head to get him out of his trance.

"That’s it. I’m done. What’s your name, lady?"

"Rushman. Natalie Rushman"

"Huh, okay come here. Happy is gonna teach you some moves"

Thus, Tony left the ring and Natalie came in to replace him. Pepper was muttering something between the lines of 'I can't believe you just did that' and Loki just frowned and focused on their new guest. There was something about that woman that he didn't like.

"Pep, Who is she?" He said sitting between his friend and his boyfriend.

"She is from legal. And she is potentially the reason Loki is gonna kick your ass if you keep looking at her like that"

Tony looked at him seriously, "I don't like her babe, I'm just curious because I've never seen her before"

"I know that, Anthony. If I thought you were ogling her we would not be talking right now," he laughed. "But there is something off about that woman."

"Let's see. How do I spell your name, Natalie?"

"R-U-S-H-M-A-N.", She then, in a single movement, left Happy lying on the ground.

"What, are you gonna google her now?"

"I thought I was ogling her. Wow. Very, very impressive individual", he says looking at the information displayed on the computerized table. "She's fluent in French, Italian, Russian, Latin. Who speaks Latin?"

"No one speaks Latin. It’s a dead language. You can read Latin or you can write Latin, but you can’t speak Latin."

"I can speak Latin"

"Honey, you can speak every language in existence. Did you model in Tokyo? ‘Cause she modeled in Tokyo. ", Loki glared at him. "But that's not important, what matters is that she's good at her job, right? Right"

"I don't know," Pepper said. "She is new"

"I'm in need of a new assistant, she may be a good candidate-"

"No. If you need it, I'm going to be your new assistant. But she's not. I'm telling you, Anthony. That move she did there can only be accomplished by someone well trained. I do not trust her"

"What do you mean?"

"I think you need to have to talk with your uncle"

* * *

It turned out that Loki was right. Natalie Rushman was a S.H.I.E.L.D agent planted in SI to keep an eye on everything and see if there was something strange or a mole hanging around. At least that's what Nick said.

There was a good outcome at the end of it all. Now his boyfriend was his new PA. And boy, was Tony enjoying that.

Jane and Darcy were giving Thor a crash course on Earth and its ways. Selvig was enjoying the company of some of the scientists working at Stark Industries and Rhodey was working at the base as usual.

Tony was on a plane coming back from Monaco with Pepper, Happy and Loki, who now used the name Lorelei and looked like the day they met Natalie.

"I cannot believe you were so stupid! You reckless-", hit, "moron!", another hit. "Since when do you drive race cars? I was so ready to murder you, Anthony. You have no idea."

Tony watched him carefully, waiting for the ranting to finish. "I’m sorry, okay? It seemed like a bad idea, but I have those all the time! It's not my fault some psycho tried to rip my head off with his electrified whips!"

"If you knew it was a bad idea then why the hell did you do it in the first place?" he ask frustrated.

He considered lying but quickly dismissed it. The god they call Liesmith is not going to believe him, not even by chance. "It was on my bucket list, okay? I figured, why not? It may have been the last opportunity to do so." And so Loki calms down and sadness dulls his face in an instant.

As if it were already an instinct, the god sat on his lap and huddled there. He kissed his neck and left his hand on the reactor.

They need to find a cure, because Tony wasn’t sure he could ever say goodbye to the love of his life.

* * *

Tony was sitting in a car in his workshop looking at holograms and investigating Vanko when Rhodey entered.

"Query complete sir. Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963. However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet- era weapons grade plutonium to Pakistan, and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist. "

"Tony, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now. Listen," but he was distracted.

The effects of the poisoning were becoming more and more noticeable. His thoughts didn't seem to be able to get in order and his attention span was getting shorter and shorter.

"I've been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door and taking these. They're gonna take your suits, Tony, okay? They're sick of the games. You said nobody else would possess this technology for 20 years. Well, guess what? Somebody else had it yesterday. It's not theoretical anymore. Are you listening to me? Are you okay? " He asked.

"Let's go", Tony tried to get out of the car but lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.

Rhodey caught him reflexively and offered support. "Hey, man. Hey, hey! You alright? Do you need me to call Loki? A doctor? What do I do?"

"Yeah, I should get to my desk. See that cigar box? It's palladium."

As soon as he sat down in the chair, Tony removed the arc reactor. "Is that supposed to be smoking?"

"If you must know, it’s neutron damage. It’s from the reactor wall."

"You had this in your body?" He asked him increasingly disturbed by what he was seeing. "And how about the high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?"

"Road rash. Thank you", he replaced the core, put the reactor back in its place and drank from his glass of chlorophyll. "What are you looking at?"

"I’m looking at you. You wanna do this whole lone gunslinger act and it’s unnecessary. You don’t have to do this alone."

"I know. I'm not, I have everything under control, honey bear. Don't worry that pretty-almost-bald head of yours"

* * *

His birthday passed without eventualities. The party that everyone thought he was going to host was cancelled. He just wanted to spend his day with the people important to him, not with a bunch of strangers.

Jane actually baked him a cake with the help of Erik while Darcy decorated the entire living room with balloons, banners and glitter and Rhodey gave him a hideous tie with little ducks on it. Thor was a surprise. He squeezed him into a hug and said in a whisper, "You are worthy of my brother, Stark. If you want to wed him, you may do so."

Tony appreciated the gesture, although he thought that if one day he decided to marry Loki, the opinion of the blonde -whatever he was- would not prevent him from doing so.

Pepper gave him a silver frame with a picture of all of them in it, so that he could remember that he had a family.

"You are getting old my love," he snickered.

He gasped, "Wha- Excuse me? I'm now 38 years old,thank you very much. You're the one with thousands of years. As far as I'm concerned, you are ancient and I'm a baby"

Loki laughed and kissed him, "I have your gift"

"That can wait," he said, interrupting him with another peck on the lips.

They made out against the kitchen counter for a few minutes and then he watched the god go to the cupboard, where he grabbed a small red box with a gold bow.

"Really? In the cupboard? How original of you."

"Do you ever open the cupboard?" Tony laughed. "Yeah, I didn't think so"

"Shush you, gimme my present"

Excited, he opened the box and found a beautiful watch inside.

Loki looked at him nervously, "I did not know what to give you, and what I wanted to give you is in Asgard so, clearly, it was a big no, and then Pepper suggested a watch and I thought it was a pretty pathetic gift but then she told me that phrases could be engraved on the back and- " He looked at him amused by his babbling. "Just turn the damn thing"

Tony's heart gave a little jump and his eyes misted over.

_ Promise you'll come back _

_ Always _

"Lokes, this is ..."

"I know it is a bit cheesy, but that is our line. Every time one of us has to go, we promise to come back. And we always do. Until now, we always came back home. No exceptions"

"This is beautiful babe, it's not cheesy. It's ours." They kissed again and Tony wrapped his arms around the god's waist.

With his forehead resting on his boyfriend's, Loki whispered, "Promise me that you will fight to stay. That you will not leave us. That you will not leave me."

The genius hesitated. He wasn't sure he had much more time left, but someone was going to have to kill him before he stopped fighting to survive.

"I will do everything in my power to stay with you, Lokes. Always"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed Tony's age a little just cause I can sksksk. Sue me. Also, it's so it fits with some of my plans for the story :)


	15. A solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury visits the Stark Mansion and Tony is not dying anymore.

"Sour patch, I have a gift for you"

"What are you talking about?"

"Follow me"

Tony was aware that time was running out. He, too, was aware that the military were going to keep trying to get one of his suits. So, he came up with a simple solution.

"Ta-da!" He said with jazzy hands, showing off Mark II.

"Uh, Tones? You realize that this is one of your suits right?"

"Well, technically, it's yours now"

“Did you hit your head?”

“No”

"Are you drunk?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "I'm not, why can't you just accept the suit without stupid questions?"

"'Cause I don't understand why you would give it to me just like that. It seems sudden"

"Believe it or not, I actually thought about it before taking action", but Rhodey still looked at him doubtfully. "Look, the military wants a suit, and there's no way in hell I'm going to give it to them. There's no guarantee what they're going to do with it, so what better than giving the suit to my best friend who also works at the air force? Everyone wins "

"You're crazy, you know that?" He said with a big smile before tackling him with a hug.

"Just take care of it, that's all I ask"

* * *

Two days after his birthday, Nick Fury showed up on his doorstep. Loki was the one who opened the door, since he was just up and making breakfast. He was glad to see him, as the man had not visited since that time with the 'I am Iron Man' incident.

"Where's your worse half?"

"Uncle Nick, you wound me," Tony said, appearing in the living room in his pajamas. "To what do we owe this unexpected and rude visit?"

Fury glared at him, "Anything you wanna tell me?"

"Not that I know of, I mean, I have things to tell you, such as how horrible you are for visiting at this time of the morning. Don't you know that there are people who sleep?"

"Funny. I was thinking more about the 'I'm dying' kind of thing," Tony went pale. "Yeah, I know about that. Let me tell ya, I am pissed at you. Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"How do you even know?" He asked quietly.

Loki sat next to him on the couch and took one of his hands to give him a gentle squeeze to reassure him.

"We questioned Vanko before he was transferred to prison. He said quite interesting things, but I didn't understand them until I realized what you were doing. Passing the CEO position, rewriting your will, canceling the party. Everything led me towards the truth. And you're lucky that it did, because otherwise I wouldn't have brought you what I brought you "

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't tell anyone except Lokes, I didn't want to worry you.”

"Stupid brat"

"You know me", he smirked. "Anyway, what did you bring me?"

"Your father's belongings", he said, shocking Tony.

Loki went outside to help Agent Coulson bring the boxes at Fury's request. Thank the Norns he was the only agent he brought with him.

"Agent, it is a pleasure to see you again"

"Sorry, I don't recognize you. Do we know each other?"

The god smiled with humor in his eyes. This was going to be fun. He was sure he could trust Coulson, otherwise Nick wouldn't have brought him.

With a green flash, he changed into the form of the man he had used to go help Pepper that day and then changed again.

"Holy crap"

"If I had all my seiðr I could make all these boxes levitate to the mansion. You are going to have to forgive me, it seems that we have to do force work"

Speechless, the agent helped him move everything inside.

"So, it seems that Uncle Nicky here thinks that my dear old dad left me the solution for the reactor among his things. Also, he injected me with lithium dioxide, which is kind of like a temporary fix, and I feel wonderful", said Tony with a toothy smile and a spark in his eyes that he hadn’t seen for a long time.

"Here’s the thing, as of now you are going to be locked up here without communication with the outside world until you solve this."

"What if I don't want to stay here and I escape?"

"The moment you put a foot outside this property I’ll post certain videos and images that I have in my possession"

"That sounds fun. Nick, you would not mind showing me, would you?"

"Nick?" He could hear as Coulson whispered in confusion. It seemed that the whole situation was kind of surreal to him.

"Come on, the public has seen the worst of me. There is nothing you can use as blackmail."

"Do you remember that Halloween you spent in the office asking every agent you came across for candy? I think you were dressed like a-"

"Okay! Yes! I get it! No need to say it. Jeez"

Watching Tony concentrate on the contents of the boxes, Loki approached the director.

"You are going to show me anyway, right?"

"Oh yes, there is nothing better than a little snot-face Tony Stark dressed as a rabbit and missing a tooth"

* * *

The next three days after Fury's visit were frantic. Tony discovered a new element following Howard's research, began to destroy the house in order to build a particle accelerator and spent the time in between with him.

Loki, who could only help him up to a point, spent the time answering the thousands of questions Phil Coulson had about him, his brother and his planet. 

It appeared that S.H.I.E.L.D had found Thor's hammer and was now studying and monitoring it. He also learned that Agent Romanoff - better known as Natalie Rushman - was keeping an eye on the god of thunder, who was making noise everywhere he went.

"So you've been here for years. How come we didn't notice an alien?"

"First, because I do not go around screaming and telling everyone about the tremendous battles I fought like Thor does. And second, every time I go out I try to take another form. It is something we agreed on with Anthony. So, he continues with his playboy image, I keep the fact that I am from another planet a secret and we can live in peace. Plus, it is fun "

"Smart"

Shouts of excitement interrupted them.

Running down the stairs to the workshop, they were blinded by a blue light. 

Tony made it.

"Hey babe, you wanna plan a vacation for next year? Because I'm definitely not leaving you any time soon."

Running, Loki jumped into his arms and laughed with joy. In the background, he could hear Phil calling Fury and updating him, but he didn't care. He was clinging to the love of his life, who was now fine. 

He could breathe again.

"I'm sorry we have to cut this short, but we have to go to the Expo. Justin Hammer’s presentation is today"

"Okay, explain"

"Vanko is alive, and I'm pretty sure Hammer is working with him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we finish Iron Man 2 and move on to The Avengers!! I'm so excited!!!! XD
> 
> P.S: Thank you for all the comments, they make my day every time ♥


	16. We are a team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting the hammeroids

Just a moment. Just one fucking moment to enjoy the fact that he wasn't going to die. That's all he asked for. But no. Tony Stark doesn't get what he wants. This was a disaster.

He was putting on the suit when Thor, Jane and Darcy appeared at the workshop with Loki.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Loki called us saying things were about to get difficult and we wanted to help"

"We’re going with you"

Tony sighed, "Thor joining us I can understand, and I know I don't have to worry about him. But you girls don't need to do this"

The two crossed their arms and looked at him defiantly. "We will go with you Stark, end of discussion."

"You're not going to change our minds, shellhead" said Darcy. "So, accept our help and stop complaining."

Loki approached him and whispered fiercely, "We are a team. We are not going to let you go alone. We just got you to not die, I would rather you stayed that way"

"We are with you, friend Tony."

The billionaire tried to hide the silly tears that had accumulated in his eyes and diverted the conversation. He handed them all comms and, after a short summary of everything he knew about Vanko and Hammer, they went to the Expo.

The group of friends piled up in the car Happy used to drive and Tony flew off, so he got there first.

He landed on stage where Justin Hammer was giving his presentation. Around him were dozens of robots bigger than Iron Man and, in the middle, the Mark II with Rhodey in command.

"We got trouble," he said, approaching his best friend and noting all the weapons that had been added to the suit.

"Tony, there are civilians here. I'm here under orders. What's going on?"

"Give them a wave," Tony suggested to look casual and not panic. "All these people are in danger. We gotta get them out of here. I think he's working with Vanko."

"Vanko is alive? '

The genius tried to interrogate Hammer but the idiot pretended not to know what he was talking about. Irritated, Tony turned to speak to Rhodey again and noticed the suit's weapons were pointed at him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa"

"Is that you?"

"No, I'm not doing that. That’s not me. I can’t move. I’m locked up. I’m locked up!", The drones began to direct their weapons at him. "Get out of here. Go! This whole system’s been compromised."

Tony flew up from the Expo to ward off danger from civilians and realized that the drones were following him.

"Anthony, where are you? We just arrived"

"Uh, yeah. About that. A horde of drones is chasing me. Typical Tuesday, you know how it is, babe."

"Tony, Tony, I'm locked on. I have a target lock," he heard the voice of his friend panicking.

"On what?"

"On you!"

"James Rhodes, if you kill Anthony I am going to hunt you down, knock you out and leave you at your mother's mercy. I think Mama Rhodes is going to be ecstatic to find out that you killed your best friend."

"You know what Loki? Sometimes you're another level of scary," Jane said over the comms.

* * *

"We have to find Pepper," he yelled.

"She's backstage with Happy," Tony told them..

The group of four ran dodging the people who were running in panic to evacuate the place. Loki cursed the moment that Odin decided to take the powers out of him and his brother. Everything would be easier if he had his complete seiðr and Thor had the thunder.

"Who's locked you out of the mainframe?" They heard the voice of their red-haired friend.

"Please, please, go away. Go away. I’ve got this handled," said Hammer.

"Have you now?" Darcy asked mockingly.

"Yes, I do. In fact, if your guy hadn’t showed up, this wouldn’t be happening. So, please, now go away. Thank you"

"Wow, you're even more of an asshole than Tony said. I wasn't expecting that. Guess I owe him 10 bucks."

Hammer looked at the tech manning the computer and said, "Listen, we gotta get these bitches out of here. Wha-"

Thor, angry by those words, pushed him across the table, smashing his cheek to the surface and twisting his arm.

"You shall tell me who is behind this attack or I will break your arm"

"Ivan. Ivan Vanko."

"Where is he?" Loki asked.

"At my facility."

"Very good. Girls, you stay with Pepper and call the authorities. Thor and I are going after Vanko," they nodded with determined looks. Those three together were really terrifying. "Happy, can you take us there? We need a driver capable of going fast."

Happy looked at him deadpanned, "I worked for Tony Stark for years. If I couldn't drive fast he would’ve fired me the second day."

* * *

"How are we doing JARVIS?"

"Remote reboot unsuccessful."

"Dammit"

Tony continued to dodge drone attacks until he saw a boy wearing an Iron Man mask pointing his fake repulsor at one of the robots that was targeting him.

Scared for the boy, Tony flew as fast as he could and blew the robot's head with a blast. "Nice work kid"

"Listen, listen. A pack just peeled off. They're headed back to the Expo," said Rhodey.

"Got it."

"In closing in on you. Ordnance coming in hot Tony. Watch it."

* * *

Loki and Thor entered Hammer's facility cautiously. Without their powers they were still quite strong, and they knew that they could fight their way in, but they also knew that if they got injured by a bullet, they could bleed to death. They weren't quite sure the extent to which Odin had changed their abilities.

"Brother, we will win. Even if we die trying."

"You are being a bit dramatic, but yeah. We are going to win. We have to stop this for Anthony's sake."

"And for our friends who are at the StarkExpo"

"And also for the innocents who are in the crossfire"

They came to a hallway full of security guards and the brothers shared a significant look. They didn't have to kill them, this wasn’t Asgard. Just knocking them out was enough.

With a twinkle in his eye, Loki said, "Are you ready, brother?"

"Oi, just like the old times"

"Try to keep up"

It took them only a few minutes to knock out all the guards and get to the room where Vanko would have to be.

"He is gone," Thor said grimly. "What shall we do now?"

Loki remembered everything Tony had taught him over the years and, with just a hint of insecurity, started typing on the computer he had found on a desk.

"What are you doing?"

"I am rebooting Rhodey’s suit."

"How do you know how to do that?"

"Do you think that after spending years at Anthony's side, I was not going to learn even the basics about computers?" A short time later, he achieved his mission. "Reboot complete. You got your best friend back," Loki said smiling at the image of Tony that appeared on the screen.

"Wow, go Loki!" Said Rhodey.

"Thanks, honey. You just saved my ass from dying, it seems like it's trending now. Me dying."

"That is not funny. Just a few hours ago you were on the brink of death, Anthony," he said seriously.

Another image appeared on the screen, "What do you mean on the brink of death?" Pepper asked worriedly.

"Did you just say you're dying?" Adhered Jane.

"No I'm not, not anymore"

"You were gonna tell us? You really were dying?" Darcy said with a frown.

"Can you blame me? You three are fucking scary."

"And what about me?" Asked Happy, Thor and Rhodey at the same time.

Tony rolled his eyes, "We don't have time for this guys, I'd love to talk about this when I'm not fending off a hammeroid attack."

"We are going to help you, Anthony. Just try to not die", he turned off the computer and looked at his brother, "We need to go to where they are. I need to help him."

"We will not be on time"

"I have to try! I cannot leave him alone. Not again. I was not there when he got kidnapped and I was not there when he found out he was going to die. I have to be there this time."

Thor looked at him with bright eyes and put a hand on his shoulder, “Then that is what we are going to do. We will try. Together."

When those words left the older brother's lips, their chests began to glow. Slowly, their Asgardian armor enveloped them and they felt power rush through their veins. Mjolnir appeared in the hand of his brother and green sparkles surrounded him.

They were back.

* * *

Tony and Rhodey were being strangled by Vanko's electrified whips when Loki and Thor appeared out of nowhere.

"What the hell?"

A second later, Tho had electrocuted Vanko with his lightning and Loki had enveloped them both with his seiðr, preventing the electricity from reaching his suits.

"No, seriously, what the fuck, Lokes? I don't see you for an hour and you get your powers back? I find it disrespectful. How was it? Was it cool? I bet it was cool. Thor looks hot in his armor. Not that you don’t, you’re actually the most attractive person I’ve ever met, but you already knew that. It was just an observation. Is that the magic hammer of worthiness? Of course it is, lightning came out of that thing two minutes ago, what am I saying? And what about- "

"Anthony. Please be silent. You are babbling, darling."

"Shit, you're right"

"Uh, guys, Vanko's suit is beeping"

"What? Shit, everybody get away! Loki, get to the girls and get them the hell out of here. Now!"

* * *

Hours later, everyone was sprawled on the couches and on the floor in the living room.

"So, do these things happen to you often?" Darcy asked.

"What do you mean by these things? These things like fighting big robots or these things like almost dying?"

"Both"

"Yes," they said in unison. They looked at each other and burst out laughing infecting everyone around them.

They laughed because their lives were getting more and more stressful and ridiculous. They laughed because they were with friends. They laughed because Anthony wasn't going to die. They laughed because they loved each other. They laughed because they were alright.

They laughed because even though they knew it would probably be short lived, for now, they could breathe again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun to write, adding the other to the fight was a challenge but I hope you liked how it turned out. The Avengers are next! This is going to be great! ^.^


	17. The calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude.

**-2012-**

Everything remained normal after the incident with Hammer and Vanko. Well, as normal as it gets. Let's be honest, nothing was normal in Tony Stark's life. Especially when he was living with the god of mischief.

"Loki! I'm going to murder you"

Tony walked to the library where the Jotun was lazily reclining in an armchair reading quietly.

"Red? Really? What are you, five?"

Loki looked up and laughed so hard that the book slipped from his lap. "Oh my. Darling, you look ravishing," he said trying to control his expression.

Tony glared. "When were you gonna tell me? Even better, why would you dye my hair in the first place? I had flaming red hair all day until Happy had a little pity and told me I looked like one of the Weasleys", he said with a frown.

"I must say, it really goes with the Iron Man suit. Maybe I should have added golden strands. What do you think, JARVIS?"

"It really is your best work Mr. Loki. May I suggest sending a picture of the events to Director Fury? He is still angry at sir for rejecting the Avengers initiative, a picture may cheer him up."

"JARVIS, you read my mind. Do that immediately"

"Wha- No! Don't do that, and Nick should actually be thankful I accepted to be a consultant out of the goodness of my heart, he couldn't afford me if I asked for payment." That only made the god laugh louder. "I hate you. Both of you."

"Of course sir. We tolerate you too"

Tony spluttered indignantly and Loki continued laughing as if he had no tomorrow. _ Well _ , thought the genius,  _ it's worth it if he keeps laughing like that. _

* * *

They were having breakfast when a woman appeared in front of them causing Tony to almost choke on his coffee.

"Mother!" Loki said happily, running to hug her. "You did not tell me you were going to visit. Did something bad happen? Another battle? Does Odin need me?"

She smiled and caressed his cheek, "Easy my son, I only came to see you because I missed you. I may also want to meet this man you talk about so much."

Hearing that, Tony got up from the table awkwardly and looked at them both with uncertainty. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Queen Frigga. Loki has told me a lot about you. You’ll have to forgive me, I don't have the slightest idea of how to act in these situations. Do I shake your hand? Do I bow? Maybe you have some weird alien royalty greeting that I know nothing about, so I better do nothing so I don't embarrass myself… more than I already did with that ramble, that is. Dammit. "

"Oh Loki, he is even more adorable than what you said. This is wonderful! And so handsome too", said the queen grabbing his cheeks. "You can call me Frigga, Anthony. You have been with my son for years, you are already part of the family as far as I am concerned."

Tony blushed and Loki's mother only reacted by hugging him. "Thank you for taking care of my son".

"You don't need to thank me. He’s my life, I will always take care of him."

"I can take care of myself", mumbled Loki.

"Sure you can, my son. But that does not mean we cannot help you."

Tony approached him and wrapped an arm around his waist, "Quit the grumpy face, Lokes. You love people taking care of you", he said giving him a kiss on the corner of his lip.

Flushed, Loki said, "Whatever. How is everything on Asgard? I have not heard from Thor since he left."

"I lied to you. Something happened."

Thus, Frigga told them how, when Thor returned to his planet, one of the guards heard that Loki was Laufey's son and wanted to take the war to Jotunheim. Strangely, the guard was able to support himself during his fight with the god of thunder, which should not have been possible.

"Who was it?"

"Tyr"

"Isn't that the one that tried to frame you that one time?" Asked Tony.

"Yes, how is that possible?"

"We do not know. Your brother said his eyes had a strange gleam. Worst of all was at the end of the fight. Thor had to break the bridge and we lost the bifrost. Tyr fell."

"At least we do not have to deal with him any longer. I do wonder what happened to him."

"Do not worry, my son. Now, Anthony, tell me about your life with Loki. Is he causing a lot of mischief?"

Tony glared at him remembering the latest incident and Loki giggled. "That is putting it lightly, there was one time when ..."

It took almost four hours for the queen to leave. She felt that a weight was lifted off her knowing that her little one was in good hands.

That he was loved.

* * *

One night, lying in bed in a mess of tangled limbs, Tony asked something he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"Are you ever going to let me see you?"

Loki frowned, "You are seeing me, what do you mean?"

"I mean the real you, your other form," he replied, lazily tracing his column.

"I- I do not know... It is not a nice sight."

"You don't know what I think it's a nice sight, Lokes. You could be orange for all I care and I'd still be head over heels for you."

The god seemed to think about it for a while. Tony knew it was an extra sensitive topic. He didn't even want to imagine how it must feel to find out that you are part of the species that your planet hates and wants to kill.

"Alright. Just... close your eyes."

Tony did as requested. He felt Loki move away from him to sit on the bed and then he felt how slowly, the temperature around him decreased. It was almost imperceptible, but since he was used to the body of his boyfriend, he noticed.

"You can look now," he said in a shaky whisper.

When he opened his eyes, his brain stopped working. Loki was looking down nervously playing with his hands. Only the light from the nightstands illuminated the room and Tony was mesmerized.

"You are..."

"I know. Horrible. A monster."

"Beautiful," he said breathlessly. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever laid my eyes on, don't you dare say otherwise."

Surprised, Loki looked up with wide eyes and analyzed him looking for the lie. But he couldn't find it.

Tony grabbed his hands and kissed his knuckles when the god tried to get away. "No, I'm going to burn you. Too cold."

"You won't. See? Perfectly fine, just a little chilly. Nothing to worry your pretty blue head about."

"'m not pretty"

Tony's hand couldn't wait any longer and began to trace the lines on the face of the god. "No, you're gorgeous. What do they mean?", He asked with a finger gently following the path of the almost silver lines.

"I think they represent kinship. Mine says I'm Laufey's son," Tony hummed in understanding.

"Hey, you have red eyes."

"I know, do not worry. I will keep my eyes closed."

"I don't want you won't close your eyes, Lokes. I want to see them. Please", slowly, Loki complied with the request. "There you go, sweetheart. That's right. Those rubies. Wow. Breathtaking."

The god gave a tiny smile and leaned toward the touch, covering his blue skin again with the usual pale skin.

"I'm so proud of you, Lokes. Thank you for trusting me."

Loki nuzzled his chest just above the reactor and sighed contentedly. "I trust you more than I have ever trusted anyone, Anthony. It scares me."

"It scares me too,” he said in a whisper. Then he added, “ I love you, blueberry," a soft laugh rang out against his shirt.

"I love you too."

* * *

Loki was in the tower with Pepper and Happy wearing Tony's hoodie, barefoot and waiting for him to return.

"Pepper, you're killing me. Remember the moment? Enjoy the moment," Tony’s voice was heard.

"Get back here and we can enjoy the moment together", he said with a smirk.

"Ugh, disgusting. See? This is why I didn't wanna come," Happy told Pepper making her laugh.

Just when they could see Iron Man landing outside, JARVIS spoke up. "Sir, Agent Coulson of SHIELD is on the line."

"I'm not in. I'm actually out," Tony said, making him roll his eyes.

"Sir, I am afraid he is insisting."

"Grow a spine, JARVIS. I got a date."

"Levels are holding steady ... I think.”

"Of course they are, I was directly involved. Which brings me to my next question: how does it feel to be a genius?"He said to Pepper as he sat on the couch where Loki was sitting and hugged him around the waist giving him a kiss on the neck.

"Well, ha, I really wouldn't know now, would I?"

"What do you mean? All this came from you."

"All of this came from this", he said as he tapped the reactor. "Pepper was just your assistant."

She gasped, "What?!"

"Oh man. You are so dead", muttered Happy.

Tony's eyes twinkled wickedly, "You can have twelve percent of the credit, though. I can give that to my assistant, right?"

"You both have a death wish, unbelievable."

"Sir, the telephone. I am afraid my protocols are being overwritten."

"Stark, we need to talk," Tony picked up his phone and looked into it at Coulson.

"You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message," he said, making Lokii giggle.

"It's urgent"

"Then leave it urgently." The elevator opened. "Security breach."

"Mr. Stark, Loki"

"Phil! Come in. Pepper was about to commit murder."

"Phil? Uh, his first name is Agent."

"Come on in, we're celebrating," Pepper told him smiling.

"I can't stay. We need you to look this over." I have held out a file towards Tony. "Both of you. Soon as possible."

"Both of us?" Loki asked, grabbing the file knowing that his boyfriend didn't like being handed things.

Noticing the seriousness of the situation, Pepper and Happy said their goodbyes and left the three of them alone.

"It's about the Avengers Initiative."


	18. The storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan.

“Make you move Reindeer Games”

Loki held up his hands in sign of surrender and smirked wickedly. But Tony… Tony felt like someone had ripped his reactor right out of his chest, making it hard to breath without it hurting. 

**-A few hours before-**

“So the asshole that framed you, then tried to erase a whole species, then fighted Thor, then fell to his death is very much alive and here, on Earth, killing innocents and carrying the stolen magic cube. Did I get that right?”

“You forgot the fact that he is turning smart and dangerous people into his minions.”

“This just keeps getting better.”

Tony sighed and hugged Loki from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder, as both stared at the holograms in front of them. The file Coulson had left was on display and a feeling of unease took place in his gut. 

“I don’t like this.”

“I do not like this either, Anthony. But he is an asgardian, so I am suited for the job. You know that.”

He huffed, “I still don’t like this”, Loki laughed softly, turning in his arms to stare at his eyes.

“I know. It seems like we cannot have a calm year. But it will be okay, love. I sent a fire message to my mother. I am sure Thor will arrive to our aid sometime today.”

“That's cool. We need his tall, muscled, strong self if we want to have a chance to go against this guy”, he felt a glare. “I mean, maybe a little thunder will be helpful, you know? For tall, muscled and strong we already have you, sweetheart.”

“Nice save.”

An alarm went off and JARVIS informed them that Tyr had been spotted.

“Stuttgart. ‘ the hell is he doing in Germany?”

“Do not know. Do not care. I am going.”

“No you’re not.”

“Yes I am. Right now. I want to end this as soon as possible, Anthony. We deserve time without evil morons trying to kill us. Okay?” He said pecking his lips with a smile. “I will come back, I always do.”

And with that, he left in the blink of an eye.

Desperate to go after his lover and help him, Tony ran to his suit and took off.

* * *

Loki appeared outside the Stuttgart Museum where, apparently, a gala was taking place. He could hear an orchestra and, a minute later, the screams of people running in panic. Inside, the ex asgardian guard was laughing maniacally besides a table where a body was laying.

“Tyr, stop this madness. Turn yourself in before this becomes a war zone. You will be judged by the Aesir and Odin Allfather will give you his verdict.”

His eyes glinted maliciously, “Loki Odinson, or should I say Laufeyson? It does not matter. Thanos searched for you. Wanted one of the most powerful sorcerers within his army. And now, he has found you.”

Hearing the name of the Mad Titan stopped Loki’s brain for a few seconds. The fear that name carried froze him in place, giving Tyr the perfect opportunity. That second of hesitation led to the staff touching his chest.

A weird fog covered his thoughts and, from then on, it was like he was sitting on the back seat of his own mind. He could watch what was happening, but he wasn’t in command of his body. 

It was hell. 

He had promised Anthony he was coming back. And he feared that maybe, just maybe, this time he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his promise.

* * *

“J, give me something. What’s going on there? We’ll arrive in a few minutes.”

“I have found security cameras pointing at the scene but… sir, I do not think you should see the footage.”

“What? Why? What happened? Is Loki okay?”

“I am afraid not, sir. He appears to be fighting Captain America, and before that he had taken people hostage and asked them to kneel before him. He is also wearing his armor.” 

The air left his lungs and he wanted to cry his eyes out, ‘cause there was no way his boyfriend did that on his own free will, so that meant he had been compromised.

Shit.

He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself. He couldn’t afford losing it right now. He had to slip into his usual mask of indifference and arrogance, his public persona, Iron Man. He needed to capture Loki and the others -if it was possible. 

Then he could freak out and break down.

His lips curled up slightly when he saw the god fighting Rogers in the distance. Under other circumstances, he might’ve enjoyed it and maybe even recorded it. But not this time. That was not his Loki.

He hacked into the quinjet that was hovering above the fight and Shoot To Thrill started blasting through the speakers. “Agent Romanoff. Did you miss me?” He said before landing with style and, painfully, blasting his boyfriend with the repulsors knocking him off his feet. He stood in front of him and kept aiming at him with both hands, prepared to shoot again if necessary. 

**-Present-**

“Make you move Reindeer Games.”

Loki held up his hands in sign of surrender and smirked wickedly. But Tony… Tony felt like someone had ripped his reactor right out of his chest, making it hard to breath without it hurting. 

“Good move,” he said. 

That’s all he managed without his voice breaking as he stared at the light blue eyes watching him. Eyes that were normally forest green. Eyes that now held no emotion for him. No love. No recognition.

“Mr. Stark”, said the star spangled man.

“Captain.”

_ Well, this is going to be a clusterfuck,  _ he thought with hidden fear. He remembered Loki’s words a few hours ago, how he had promised to come back, like they always did. 

He was not so sure if that promise was going to be kept this time around.


	19. Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor arrives. Tony finally lets out his emotions.

Tony was a rock. Hard, cold and expressionless.

From the moment Loki was captured, he felt that his brain had stopped working and had switched to autopilot. His actions were just rehearsed movements and his comments were mere empty sentences.

He couldn't look at him. He knew that if he looked at him, his emotions were going to leak out of the compartment in which he had stored them. He couldn't afford that luxury. He had to survive the transport of the god to the helicarrier and there, after that, he was going to be able to undo the knot that he had in his stomach and throat by releasing the thousands of accumulated tears.

"I don't like it," said the Captain.

"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"

_ Yeah _ , he thought, _ I don’t like it either _ .

"I don't remember it being ever that easy. This guy packs a wallop."

He snorted,  _ believe me Cap, you don’t know half of it _ , is what he wanted to say. Instead, he deflected the conversation.

"Still, you are pretty spry, for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?"

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, during your time as a Capsicle", he knew he was getting on his nerves, but he didn't care. He needed to be distracted.

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in," he said, which Tony just found predictable. Uncle Nick had a tendency of keeping secrets.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you."

Lightning and thunder reached the ears of both superheroes, the plane shook a bit and Tony tried to hide his smile.

_ Finally. _

Loki was looking out the window warily, "What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" asked the Captain.

"I am not overly fond of what follows."

Right there, the ramp of the quinjet opened and Thor appeared in all his glory with a murderous expression. He grabbed Loki by the neck and, sending a subtle look at the genius from the corner of his eye, he disappeared into the storm with his brother.

He quickly put on the helmet of the suit and joined in the conversation that Natasha was having with the soldier in the ridiculous suit.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost”, Tony turned and got ready to jump off the jet to chase after Thor.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!"

"I have a plan. Attack", and with that last dramatic sentence, he flew off in search of the Asgardians.

Someone should give him an Oscar, because that performance surpassed his expectations.

* * *

Supporting the hypothesis that Loki had allowed himself to be captured, Tony was not afraid to separate Thor from him. He knew he was not going to run away, there was something he needed. They just needed to find out what that was.

"Friend Tony, that is not my brother."

"Jeez, what gave him away? Was it the electric blue eyes? Or the evil that comes out of his pores?"

Thor smiled sadly, "Rather the fact that he called you 'one of the pathetic mortals that lives on this rather dull planet'. It is not something my brother would say about the person he loves most in the universe."

Tony released a shaky breath and closed his eyes to keep calm. He thanked the suit for keeping him standing, because his knees wanted to put him down. 

_ This was a mess. _

"Yeah, that'd do it. Thor, I don't know how to help him, I don’t know what to do, this wasn't supposed to happen."

"I know, but we will solve it. We will."

"No one can know that this is not the first time we met. I mean, Agent Coulson and Fury know, but the others must not know. We need to keep that information secret, I don’t want whoever controls Loki to find out. He could use one of our friends against us. Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Jane, Darcy. He already has Selvig. We can’t afford to lose them. "

"Wise plan, my friend. We shall maintain our friendship between us. You have my word."

"Good"

"Sir, I believe Captain Rogers is approaching the scene", said JARVIS.

Tired and unwilling to deal with Steve freaking Rogers, Tony fired the repulsors at his friend.

"What in the world is the meaning of this?"

"Thor, we need to look like we're fighting. So, please. Hit me, big guy."

Therefore, a small and, to be honest, fun fight broke out. That was until the old man interrupted them.

"Hey! That's enough! Put the hammer down."

Tony smirked behind his helmet. There was a moment last year when he had told Thor his story with Captain America, his father and that damn search in the arctic, so he knew that his boyfriend's brother was going to take advantage of the moment to 'avenge' his unfortunate childhood.

"Um, yeah, no! Bad call! He loves his hammer!"

"You want me to put the hammer down?" Thor growled and discreetly winked at him before charging at Steve.

_ God, I love this family. _

* * *

From his uncle's office, Tony Stark watched as the love of his life was locked in a cell prepared for the Hulk, threatened with a fall of thirty thousand feet and treated like a villain.

But he knew better.

"Well, that was not fun at all."

Nick Fury and Phil Coulson were looking at him seriously with just a hint of sorrow and sadness in his eyes.

"What are you talking about? It was like watching Stand Up Comedy. Ant. Boot. Hilarious. Really, ten out of ten would recommend it."

Both men looked at him unimpressed and Tony felt so transparent that his hand began to shake.

"I'm going to leave you two alone for a while. Stark, find me once you're ready."

When the agent left, he collapsed into a chair and his head hung heavily.

"Shit. I- I told him, you know? I told him he shouldn't go alone, but what did he do? He didn't listen. He left. He- He left me and he promised... he... he promised he would come back. That he’d come back to me. He always promised. But this time... maybe this time will be different and I can't- "

He broke down. The tears fell and his heart hurt. Fury knelt in front of him and wrapped him in a hug, which made him sob louder.

"I can't lose him. Please Uncle Nicky, I don't want to be alone again. I- I can't be alone again. I don't- don’t wanna go back to those days."

It was just like when he was a child and Jarvis died. He wept on the spy's shoulder and let the hand that caressed his back comfort him.

"I know it hurts, kid. I know. But you have to be strong. You are one of the brightest people on the planet. You are going to figure out."

"He is my life and I want to spend the rest of my days next to him. I can't bear to look at those cold and calculating blue eyes that are now in the place of the green, warm and mischievous ones. It hurts."

"Hey, first of all, whatever happens, you won't be alone. That is a stupid ass thing to say on your part. I thought you were a genius", Tony laughed softly. "And second of all, it seems to me that you know what you have to do now."

He looked at him confused, making him roll his eyes. "You compose yourself, you start thinking like the Tony Stark I've known since you were five, you get the love of your life back and you marry him. It's a simple plan, think you can handle it, Iron Man?"

A new determination filled him to the core. What the hell was he doing crying like an infant and wasting precious time? Pathetic. Truly ridiculus.

_ Think you can handle it, Iron Man? _

"I don't know about Iron Man, but right now, Tony Stark needs a lab and coffee."

"Hell yes, about damn time you came back to us. Now, go with Coulson. You need to meet the team."

"Oh, so I'm finally going to meet the other members of your super secret boyband. Great. I need to have some fun."

Nick glared at him with his one eye, "Behave."

"Always. Who do you take me for? Do you really think so badly of me?"

"Your boyfriend is the god of mischief and you’ve been a troublemaker since the day you were born."

"Fair enough"

Stay back people, Tony Stark was ready. And he was determined to marry his Loki. Anyone who got in the way wasn't going to tell it.

He was going to bring him back. Even if it was the last thing he did.

_ Whatever it takes. _


	20. Bad memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve vs Tony

Anyone who knew him could see that he was putting up a front for the public. Anyone who didn't know him would probably just think he's an asshole.

Coulson led him to where the meeting with the other weirdos was taking place. Tony was a little doubtful about Thor's acting power, but somehow they were going to handle it and no one was going to know that they already knew each other.

"I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?" He heard Doctor Banner say.

_ Time to crash the meeting. _

"It's a stabilizing agent," he said. He leaned over to Coulson and whispered, "Thanks for distracting me, Agent. I'll fly you to a private island, have a little vacation." He smirked and then continued, "Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD."

He could notice the god looking at him with a spark of amusement, so he walked over to where he was and, patting him on the back, said, "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Tyr and his lackeys want. "

Scanning the room and looking for the best way to plant the device to hack the agency, Tony dramatically turned to where the dozens of computers with agents were.

"Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails. That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice. But we did," he covered one eye and turned both ways. Then he asked, "How does Fury do it?"

"He turns," Agent Hill replied.

"Sounds exhausting," he planted from the hacking device under a desk. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?"

"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Tyr need any particular kind of power source?" Asked the good captain.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Banner explained.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English."

Tony wasn't going to lie. He was excited to work with the scientist, it was the only thing that was going to save him from losing his mind.

Almost bouncing, he approached the man and shook his hand. "It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Thanks"

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him," Fury said, making his typical dramatic entrance.

He could see that his uncle was stressed, and he could also see that he was hiding things. Important things. Usually he could ignore the agency's morally dubious methods and practices, but not this time.

“Let's start with that stick of his from him. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.”

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Tyr used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

He saw a glint of understanding in Thor's eyes, but the god still said, "Monkeys? I do not understand."

The captain jumped at that making Tony roll his eyes, "I do! I understood that reference."

"Shall we play, doctor?"

"Let's play some."

When he was arriving at the laboratory he got a message.

_ Don’t fangirl too much, Loki will be jealous. Behave, or I’ll tell your Aunt Peggy that you’re causing trouble again. _

Unbelievable.

The worst part is that Tony knew if he really caused trouble Fury was going to contact his aunt, like he did when he was dying and didn’t tell no one. That day, Peggy had been on the phone with him for almost two hours, then she talked to Lok and Pepper and then they all made him regret everything... no one wanted a repeat from that.

He would rather deal with an Asgardian than with Margaret Carter.

* * *

Clearly, the first real talk between him and the Captain didn't go well and Tony wanted to hit him. Although, to be honest, Tony wanted to hit a lot of people right now.

Fury was hiding something of high importance, the Captain detested him, the place was full of incompetents and the surveillance camera that showed Loki was slowly driving him crazy.

So yeah, Tony wanted to beat up anyone who got in his way. Except for Bruce, who was like a shy little bear. And Thor, who was like a golden retriever. And Coulson, who was like… well, Coulson.

"Don't you wanna talk to him? Maybe he can give you some information."

"In case you didn't notice, Agent, he didn't recognize me. So I highly doubt he'd give me much more than a killer look."

Forget what he said. Tony also wanted to hit Coulson.

* * *

It was morning when Nick entered the lab where Bruce and Tony had stopped working.

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" He asked angrily.

Glaring at him, Tony replied, "Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you."

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile," Bruce explained easily.

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss," he added. "What is PHASE 2?"

Suddenly, Steve walked into the lab looking furious only to drop a gun on the table. "PHASE 2 is when SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons. Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're ..."

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tony interrupted. He turned the screen showing the plans for the weapons and said, "What? Were you lying?"

"I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit."

Thor and Agent Romanoff joined in and from then on, it was chaos.

They were all having different conversations, all trying to defend themselves or justify themselves or blame someone else. A nightmare. 

Tony wanted to get out of there already. He wanted to go to his house, wrap himself in a blanket, curl up in his bed and cry for a while. To release tension, you know?

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," Natasha told Bruce.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

"Because of him," Nick said, pointing at Thor.

"Me?"

"Last year, Earth had a visitor. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

Nick looked him in the eye as if to say, ' _ really? Did you forget about your brother who has been living on this planet for years sucking face with my nephew? _ ', which made the god of thunder hide a smirk.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Tyr to it, and his allies from him. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Asked the Captain.

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

"Nuclear deterrent. ‘Cause that always calms everything right down," Tony said angrily.

Natasha looked at him amusedly and said, "Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Thor and Fury tensed at those words.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-"

"Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor said looking at Steve. Tony could tell that he was holding back the urge to knock him out with his hammer. He then turned to Fury. "You speak of control, yet you court chaos."

"It's his M.O., isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're- we're a time-bomb."

"You need to step away," Nick said. That's when Tony realized that the scepter was releasing a strange energy, but he couldn't give it half a thought because he was too preocupied defending himself from Steve fucking Rogers.

"Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"

The others fell silent and paid attention to the two of them. The god and Nick were throwing invisible daggers at the blonde and Natasha and Bruce just looked curious.

Thousands of memories flashed through his mind in a matter of seconds.

_ Four year old Tony jumping up and asking his father to tell him another story about Captain America, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos. _

_ Five year old Tony hearing that Captain America would be disappointed in him. _

_ Six year old Tony, who had just finished putting together his first engine, hearing that he was never going to be as important, special and strong as Captain America. _

_ Seven-year-old Tony, freshly rescued from his third kidnapping, hearing that he was never going to be as brave as Captain America. _

_ Eight-year-old Tony throwing away his entire Captain America collection, minus Bucky Bear, knowing that it would never be enough and crying himself to sleep. _

It hurt. But he hid the pain and put on his mask of arrogance and indifference, avoiding the worried looks of his friend and his uncle.

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," he wasn't a playboy, but the rest of the world believed that he was, might as well use the title.

"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you. "

"I think I would just cut the wire."

"Always a way out," he said condescendingly. "You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

Yeah, he wanted to go home.

"A hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!"

For a time, they kept fighting and arguing. The Captain wanted to go a few rounds against him, Banner was getting more and more angry, the scepter was shining more and more, Thor tried not to throw lightning at Steve, Fury tried to be neutral about everything... basically, a chaotic scene straight out of a movie.

Obviously, as it was not enough that everyone was at each other's throats, there was an explosion that sent them all flying against the walls.

Tony's heart dropped.

Tyr's plan, which was being carried out by Loki from the inside of the helicarrier, was beginning to move again.

He was 99% sure that the love of his life was going to get away with the other brainwashed soldiers and he wasn't going to be able to do anything to stop it.

Yeah, he didn't want to go home. He only wanted him back.

He  _ needed  _ him back.

Please.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just hear me out, I like Captain America in the movies, I do disagree with most of his decisions and most of what he says, but I still like him. That being said, I'm not gonna be too kind with his character. Sorry. 
> 
> Anyway! Thank you for all the comments, they always make me smile like crazy and want to write more. Sorry for any grammar mistake or something like that, english is not my first language.
> 
> Next chapter, Loki and Tony meet again :) I wonder how that's gonna go...


	21. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Tony meet again.

So, after being nearly ripped apart by a giant turbine, helping the Captain and feeling Loki slip through his fingers, he was finally out of danger. At least for the time being.

Now, sitting in the chair next to the gurney that Coulson was on having just woken up after losing an alarming amount of blood, Tony was tired of this shit.

"Agent, how are you feeling?"

"As if a god had pierced me with a scepter. What 'bout you, Stark?"

"Peachy."

They were both silent for a few minutes until Coulson decided to break it. "I want to see the footage. I want to see the moment when it happened."

"I wouldn't recommend it, Agent. I know he's your friend, or at least he was, he feels or felt the same way. That's why I think it's not going to do you any good to see the moment when he impaled you with his alien weapon. I know I can't watch it," the last part he muttered under his breath.

"I don't care, all the more reason. I want to see him. I'm sure he didn't want to. I think Loki did the best he could with what little he could."

"Don’t you understand? That's not Loki! Can't you see? He would never hurt someone he considers a friend, he would rather die than hurt us. And see him like this? With his eyes so... empty of emotions. That's not him Phil."

"Tony, I know that everything happening it’s a lot, with gods and magic and Asgardians villains, but you have to trust me. Loki could have pierced my heart. Actually, that's where he was pointing at, if I remember correctly. But a second before that scepter touched my body, the trajectory changed. That's why I need to see the footage, I need to be sure, and I think you could use a little hope."

Half reluctantly, Tony handed him a tablet and waited for the agent to do what he needed. He didn't dare look until the other man asked him to.

"I knew it!"

Clear as water, the scepter changed trajectory a second earlier as Coulson had said. And better than that, Loki's eyes flickered between green and blue for a moment.

He let out a gasp, "He's still in there."

"He's still in there. Now, stop moping and go get your man."

* * *

"Is this the first time you've nearly lost a soldier?" Asked the Captain.

"We are not soldiers! I am not marching to Fury's fife!"

"Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Tyr does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now, Tyr needs a power source, if we can put together a list-"

Tony looked at the blood stained wall and said, "He made it personal."

"That's not the point," he said, making him roll his eyes and reply sharply.

"That is the point. That's Tyr's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart."

"He had to conquer his greed, he sent his minions in different missions, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

Tony started to think about all the information he knew about the Asgardian. From that time he tried to frame Loki to when he fell from the bifrost and came to earth.

"Right, even though we only saw Thor's brother that time, I caught his act at Stuttgart. He was the mastermind behind it all."

"Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Tyr's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered- Sonofabitch!"

* * *

Tony wasn't going to lie. The truth is that his heart was beating at miles per hour, as if it were going to leave his chest.

Flying precariously with the battered suit, once he was close to the tower, the billionaire could recognize Tyr and Doctor Selvig on the roof. With a short conversation in which they both refused to turn off the device and the Asgardian attempted to kill him, Tony shot them both with his repulsors. Erik fell hitting his head and Tyr fell from the building, but with the magic of the scepter, he avoided turning into a pancake on the ground.

_ Great, now to the most difficult part of the job _ . Loki was inside the penthouse.

Tony landed and took off his suit, all the while without taking his eyes off the god of mischief.

When Loki decided to turn around and look at him, he smiled, and boy! did that hurt.

Walking to the bar and trying not to tremble or get close to his boyfriend, he heard him say, "Please tell me you are going to appeal to my humanity."

"Uh, actually, I'm planning to threaten you," he tried not to wince at how bad it felt to say those words to someone he loved so much.

"You should have left your armor on for that."

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You should have seen the first one I built, it ended up being a pile of scraps." At that, Tony noticed a tiny and almost imperceptible smile, which filled him with hope. "Would you like a drink?"

"Stalling me will not change anything."

"No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one."

He could see the hand of the god closing and opening anxiously, nothing to do with the calm image he was trying to display.

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. Tyr will rule and we will all kneel before him. What do I have to fear?"

"The Avengers," he said before he could think about it. Loki looked at him, confused and a little amused. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth mightiest heroes' type of thing."

"Yes, I have met them. I did not think you would like being in such a team. Are you a part of this superhero boyband?"

There, right there. Put a smirk on his face and it was his Loki. He was really in there somewhere.

"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, sweetheart, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. "

"Sweetheart?" Shit, he didn't mean to say that. "Charming. But I do not care. That was the plan."

"Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

From behind the bar, Tony used the distraction to put the bracelets on his wrists. It had been Loki's idea at first, for fear that one day he would need to call the suit and he would not be near the robots that put it on and took it off him.

"We have an army."

"We have a Hulk. And your brother, who, honestly, is scary as hell when he's angry."

"I thought the beast had wandered off."

"You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. "

Loki's eyes turned green and gleamed with pride at his words, but just as quickly they returned to the cold blue from before.

"How will your friends have time for me, when they are so busy fighting you?"

Slowly, the god approached him with both hands glowing green with seiðr. Fear began to rise up his spine, but he remained planted in his place, with the glass in his hand and without moving a muscle.

When one of his hands touched his chest, the green mist evaporated. Loki tried again and the same thing happened.

"What? I do not understand. It is as if my seiðr refused to work."

"Well, performance issues. You know? Not uncommon. One out of five-"

One of the hands he loved to hold moved quickly to his neck. He noticed that Loki hesitated before doing so but after a few seconds he felt the pressure of his fingers cutting off the air circulation. Afterward, he was tossed to the other side of the room.

"JARVIS. Anytime now."

Before he could even try to get up, the god's hands were on his neck again.

With a heavy heart, he saw a tear roll down his boyfriend's cheek and heard, "I am so sorry, Anthony."

Next thing he knew, he was falling off the tower.

* * *

Loki opened his eyes and saw the roof of the penthouse. Memories of the last few days drowned him and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

_ Anthony, I need to find Anthony. _ That is, if he still loved him after the awful things he had done.

In pain, he got up from the ground where he had fallen after the blow to the head that Thor had given him. Dizzy, but wanting to know what was happening, he approached the window and felt his heart drop.

The Chitauri were everywhere, he could see the so-called Avengers fighting here and there, but there were no signals from Tony.

"JARVIS?" He asked cautiously.

"Are you back to yourself Mr. Loki?" He nodded to one of the cameras. "Then it is a pleasure to have you back, sir."

"It is good to be back. Where is Anthony?"

"I am afraid sir is redirecting a nuke at the moment."

"He is what?!" His lungs began to fail and he had to lean against the window to keep from collapsing.

"Mr. Loki, I can connect you to the suit if you wish to talk to him."

With a small voice, he replied, "Please."

"Lokes?"

Tony's labored voice made the god tremble, he felt that he couldn't hold on much longer, so he slid to the floor.

"What's going on? What's that about a nuke? Where are you?"

"Oh my god, babe. You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear your voice. I was so scared I was gonna lose you to that lunatic."

"I am here. I am me again, I am here, love.”

"Sweetheart, I need you to listen to me. Okay? The nuke is on his way to Manhattan. It’s targeting the tower. You know I can't let that happen."

Loki's mind was spinning. "What do you mean, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Lokes. I need to save the people I love. It's the only way."

"Wha-"

Right at that moment, he saw how the Iron Man suit, taking the love of his life with him, prevented the nuke from destroying the tower he was in. Desperate, he ran to the balcony and looked up at the sky.

"Anthony, please do not do this. That is a one way trip. I am begging you. Please, do not dare to leave me."

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, I love you."

Sobbing and his voice breaking, he replied, "I love you too."

Iron Man disappeared through the portal taking Tony Stark with him.

The portal began to close.

Loki felt his heart leave him.

And then...

Tony fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I cried writing this. Maybe it's because I've been having an awful week and I cry with everything. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!!! ♥


	22. Truly, deeply, sincerely happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Tony reunite. Peggy visits. Tony shocks everyone.

A tiny red and gold dot was falling from the sky, and with it, so was Loki's heart.

When Iron Man got lost among the buildings, the god felt that the air was missing. He didn't know if Tony was alive, he didn't know if Coulson had survived, he didn't even want to think about all the people he had hurt and his mind was a swarm of thoughts. So he called the person he was sure could help him.

"He-hey Nick," he said shakily.

"Oh thank fuck. Are you back with us?"

"Yeah, yeah I am back ... Nick... Anthony. Is he- oh, Norns. What about Phil? I- I cannot- I cannot breath."

"You're okay. You're okay. Deep breaths Loki. Deep breaths."

Following the instructions from the SHIELD director, he managed to calm himself enough to continue the conversation.

"Where are you?"

"In the tower. But I do not think I can stay here alone for much longer."

"You don't need to be alone. I know of a long list of people who are worried about my idiot nephew, and I remember one of your powers that is quite convenient for these kinds of situations."

Widening his eyes in realization, and letting out one last ragged breath, Loki began to form a plan.

* * *

"Please tell me nobody kiss me"

Yes. Those were his first words after nearly dying for the twenty-seventh time or something like that. You can't blame him, he was in shock.

Around him, Tony could recognize the Captain -with a small smile and shaking his head- the Hulk -looking angry as always- and Thor -who was looking at him with glassy eyes that accompanied a thousand-watt smile.

However, seeing the god made him remember the last few days and, above all, the last conversation he had with Loki.

"Fuck. Fuck. Shit. I'm dead, aren't I?" He asked looking straight at Thor, who seemed to catch what he was asking. His boyfriend and his friends were going to kill him.

With a laugh, he replied, "Aye. I think so, my friend. I do not envy what awaits you."

"Shit. Okay, okay, fine. I just- I just need to go. Sorry Cap, but I have to go."

"We're not done yet. Tyr is still on the loose."

Biting his lip, not wanting to wait another second to meet Loki again, he nodded reluctantly.

* * *

After leaving Tyr in SHIELD custody, a tedious debrief about the whole debacle with the aliens, and a smack on the head from Fury, Tony found himself in a car on his way to the tower.

Thor and his uncle had taken the front seats and he had leaned back occupying the entire back seat. Exhausted from the battle, he tried to sleep on the road but couldn't because of the anxiety to see his boyfriend again, and knowing that this time he was going to be completely himself. At least he rested a few minutes.

Upon entering the penthouse, Tony gasped in amazement. All the people he considered friends and family were waiting for him.

“It is a pleasure to have you back and out of harm's way, sir,” dijo JARVIS.

Instantly, Pepper ran to hug him with tears in her eyes only to hit him seconds later. "Thank god you didn't die. I need you to sign some forms," she said making him laugh.

Jane, after greeting Thor, hugged him and also hit him, while Darcy asked if he had taken photos of the battle because she wanted to see the aliens up close.

Happy gave him a pat on the back accompanied by, "It's good to have you with us, boss, I didn't want to lose my job."

Now Rhodey, he was losing his mind. "Aliens, man. Fucking aliens. Really? What in the goddamn hell did you do to have such a life? Honestly, I should have kicked you out of my room at MIT. Everything around you is weird, man. Why am I even friends with you? " And Tony, with a deep laugh, couldn’t help but squeezed him into his arms, glad to see his friend again.

"How come you all are even here? As far as I knew, Jane and Darcy were in New Mexico, and that's not a two-hour walk."

"Anthony Edward Stark, I thought you were smarter."

A huge smile broke his face, "Aunt Peggy."

Running, he reached where she was sitting in her wheelchair and, bending down, he melted into her arms.

"Later we're going to have a serious talk about flying nukes through bloody wormholes. And yes, Nicholas, that means you too. I can't believe you let my baby do something as stupid as that," blushing at the ‘baby’ part, Tony had to stifle a laugh at the sight of Fury flinching at Peggy's voice. "But now, I think there is someone who got us all here for you and is waiting to see your ugly mug, love."

It was like the time he saw and felt the rays of the sun after three months in the cave. He felt warm, happy and so damn alive.

Shyly and with his heart beating like crazy, Tony walked over to Loki, who was looking at him in a trance while nervously playing with his hands.

Tentatively, and holding his breath, she brushed his knuckles across one of the god's cheeks, who instantly lost all remaining tension and clung to his neck hiding his face from him.

"You are real. You are here, you are really here. I saw you fall from the sky and I thought the worst had happened," Loki whispered.

Closing his eyes and squeezing his boyfriend tightly, he said, "I'm fine, Lokes. I'm fine. We are together again. We are together and I don't plan on leaving you."

"You can't promise that. We always say the same thing and we always find ourselves close to death shortly after."

"That's true, but I also made a promise to Nick the day Tyr hit you with the stick of destiny."

Worried, Loki pulled away just a little bit so he could look into his eyes, "Really? What did you promise him?"

"That I was going to compose myself, start thinking like the Tony Stark he knew, and that I'd get the love of my life back so that I could marry him."

Everyone in the room made sounds of surprise and widened their eyes waiting to see how the moment unfolded, but Loki... he looked terrified.

"Marry me?" Tony whispered.

The god kept looking at him with fear, confusion and nerves. "Why would you want to marry me? Why would you want to tie your life to mine? After everything I did?"

"That wasn't you. That was the Asgardian psycho. Not you."

"I threw you out of the window," he said weakly.

"Yeah, well, people always tell me I can be a pain in the ass. You wouldn't be the first to try to shut me up somehow. Even if that was throwing me out of a window."

That earned him a laugh so soft that he hardly heard it, but it still made his heart skip a beat. The green and glassy eyes, looking at him with longing and fear, reminded him exactly why he was proposing.

"Today I fell from the sky, that's true. And it was terrifying. But you know what? That was nothing compared to how I fell for you. That was the most terrifying thing in my life, because every day I woke up expecting to finally crash against the ground, but instead I kept falling. Every day. Seeing you wake up, seeing you use your seiðr, hearing you sing, seeing your real form, watching you play with the bots, seeing you laugh with my family, hearing you say you love me. I kept falling for you, and now I am no longer afraid. Now it gives me hope, because if I can make someone as special, beautiful and kind as you love me, then it means that I cannot be as bad as everyone says. Not as unworthy as I think.”

In the background he could hear all the women sniffing and he could feel the men smiling, but Tony only cared about the person in front of him, the one in his arms, who had let the tears run freely down his cheeks.

"All my life I felt like an intruder in Asgard. It was where I lived, yes, but it never felt like home. You are my home, Anthony. Never before in my thousands of years have I fallen as much in love with someone as I did with you."

Tony lost his breath, "Is that a yes?"

Loki's smile was blinding and his eyes shone brighter than the sun. "Of course I will marry you, you tremendous idiot."

The kiss that followed that answer was overflowing with love. Both of them grinning like fools, making kissing a little more difficult, but neither could care.

Everyone around them was cheering enthusiastically, clapping, filming and taking photos. It was the best moment of Tony's life.

They parted for a moment just to catch their breath and then kiss again. Until suddenly, Loki hit him and glared at him.

"Just because I agreed to marry you does not mean I am not mad at the nuke stunt you pulled today, Anthony."

"Ugh c'mon. That thing was heading to the tower! And you were inside! What was I supposed to do? Besides, I had to shut Captain Douchebag's mouth."

The god squinted at him and said, "You are walking on thin ice, Stark. Keep making excuses on why you almost sacrificed yourself and you are going to sleep on the couch."

"Now that's just not fair. Are you really going to make me sleep on the couch the day I fought with aliens, almost died and on top of that proposed to you? That is cold, Lokes. I am hurt."

Shaking his head but with a small laugh, Loki gave him another kiss. "JARVIS, remind me tomorrow to make him sleep on the couch."

"I already wrote it down on the calendar, Mr. Loki. I also deactivated all the coffee machines for the rest of the week. You know what code to use if you require it."

"You are a gem, J."

"I try."

Tony was gaping like a fish. "My own kid, going against me. Unbelievable."

"You don't have room to talk, Anthony. When you were little you were worse. Always retaliating, there came a time when I asked your mother if she wasn't considering putting you up for adoption," Peggy said.

"Hey!"

"Oh, shut it. You would've done the same if you had to babysit a kid that when he would get mad at you, he would swap all the important files for car drawings and glitter machine designs."

They all exploded in laughter and, although he was half embarrassed by Aunt Peggy's story, Tony thought every bad moment in his life had been worth it if they had led him to this moment.

Because at this moment, he was truly, deeply, sincerely happy.


	23. Mr. & Mr.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And they lived happily ever after. For like 3 weeks. But what's new?

To say that Loki and Tony's wedding was one of the weirdest and funniest weddings in existence is an understatement.

It was only a week after the Battle of New York and they both had zombie faces caused by lack of sleep. Tony had nightmares about what he saw through the portal every night and when he woke up, it was usually to see Loki equally terrified, as the god had nightmares about the time that he was not in control of his own mind.

_ "Shh, you're okay, sweetheart. You're okay. You're with me, we're in our bedroom at the tower, in New York." _

_ Loki squeezed him hard, hiding his face next to the reactor on his chest. They were both breathing unevenly, trying to calm down. "I am sorry. I swear I did not want to, I did not want to. They made me, I did not want to throw you out the window and I did not want to hurt Phil either." _

_ "I know, honey. I know. It's okay," he said, softening his fiancé's dark hair. "Hey, we're getting married in a few hours, do you think you can sleep a bit more?" He felt Loki shake his head. "That's fine, I'm not gonna be able to either. How about we stay in bed like this for a little while? It's like three in the morning." _

_ "Alright," he whispered. _

_ And none of them closed an eye again for the remainder of the night. _

That morning, the penthouse was full of people. Aunt Peggy and Fury were the first to arrive. She had bought a two decker cake to which the god added two dolls. A little Iron Man and a little Loki in his Asgardian armor. Pepper and Rhodey were next, she entered complaining about how the husbands-to-be were dressed while he was decorating the place with balloons. Happy just said that he was there for the free food.

Jane, Darcy arrived with bags of goodies and took it upon themselves to order the food for lunch. Thor was almost late and Loki, who was moody for the few hours of sleep, stabbed him with a small dagger making his brother laugh at him.

This is how the couple -Tony dressed in his Black Sabbath shirt and Loki in a simple green shirt- were married by Nick, who officiated the wedding.

Their vows were pathetically short, but neither of them had taken the time to write them down or even think about them, they just wanted to call the other 'husband', so they simply said a bunch of corny stuff with 'I love you' at the end.

“Please tell me you at least have rings?" Fury asked.

With huge smiles, they all watched as Dum-E rolled towards them with the rings in a box gripped by his claw.

"Good boy," said the genius petting his arm fondly.

Loki's ring was silver with a row of tiny emeralds, while Tony's was gold with a row of rubies. Both had an inscription on the inside 'Promise to come back’, and with a little spell, the god of mischief made sure that only those who knew about the two of them could see the jewelry on their fingers.

They made their promises and exchanged rings, and when Nick said, "I now declare you husband and god-husband," they both let out soft tearful laughs followed by a beautiful, sweet kiss. Their first kiss as a married couple.

JARVIS was in charge of the music and they had cheeseburgers and ice cream for lunch. Queen Frigga visited them in the afternoon, which made Loki even happier. She gave her son a secret gift and then she told them something vague about their future.

_ "Your love is pure, but you are both deeply hurt. Soon, you are going to meet one of the missing pieces to your puzzle. Be patient, my boys. Eventually you are going to heal." _

_ "Great, now I'm going to be looking forward to something that I have no idea what it is. What if we pass it by? How are we going to know if we find it?" _

_ "Trust me, Anthony. You will know." _

They knew that if they ever had to tell the story about their wedding day, people were going to treat them as nutcases, but they couldn’t care less.

It had been the perfect day, surrounded by the people they loved and, strangely, a night without nightmares.

* * *

When Tony entered the workshop after going upstairs to get a sandwich, he had to hold onto the door frame to keep from falling out of laughter.

Loki glared at him, "You know, Anthony, it is quite rude to laugh at your husband's expense. You might end up sleeping on the couch."

"Sorry, dear," he said with a smirk. "Care to explain what exactly is going on?"

The god was sitting on a bench at one of the tables, a deck of cards in the middle and Butterfingers in front of him. Dum-E was behind him and seemed to be tangling his hair while U filmed everything.

"We are playing UNO, while Dum-E tries to braid my hair," that last part was accompanied by a grimace as the robot tugged at his hair.

“I have tried to teach Dum-E how to braid hair properly by showing him multiple tutorials, but it seems to be a lost case,” said JARVIS.

Tony cackled, "You made my week. Really. This whole thing? You with my robo-kids that are also your robo-kids now? Can't ask for more."

Loki's gaze softened and the genius couldn't help but kiss him on the cheek and caress the robots.

This was his family. And although he hadn't slept in thirty-seven hours, he could feel how only the image of them recharged him.

* * *

Loki had spent the day helping clean up the city. Partly because the guilt was eating him up and partly because it was the place where they lived and he wanted it to be okay. Tony was helping too, but he had focused on families who had lost their homes or been injured.

Now, late at night, he was sitting between his husband's legs, both of them lying on the couch, while they watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with their friends.

Pepper and Happy were sharing the loveseat and eating popcorn, while Rhodey sat on the other side of the couch and complained about his singleness.

"I love when you wear my hoodies," Tony whispered into his ear. "You look adorable."

Loki scoffed and blushed at the same time, "They are rather comfortable."

"Well, seeing you wearing them does things to me."

"Why, Mr. Stark. I do not know what you are implying," he said playfully.

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Mr. Stark."

Pochoclos fell on them and they could hear Rhodey gagging. "Honestly, you two."

"Get a room."

"See? This is why I don't like hanging out with you people. Can't keep it in your pants."

* * *

Lying on the bed, face to face, Tony closed his eyes enjoying the touch of Loki’s fingers on his back.

The god had, with the help of his mother, carved a rune between his shoulder blades. It was the same one that years ago had lived in the necklace Loki had given him. Vegvisir. If Tony was kidnapped, abducted, hurt, or just ran out of gas on the middle of the road, his husband was going to be able to find him. And, if he was ever seriously injured, the other would know and be able to help him.

Since the moment the rune was carved, Loki hadn't been able to stop touching it. Slight caresses that grounded him, reassured him that Tony was fine and that he was himself.

"We should have breakfast."

"We should, maybe you can do it? Please?"

Loki chuckled, "I made breakfast once, and it was only because it was our first day married. I barely managed to avoid burning the toast and you want to risk burning down the kitchen again?"

"Definitely. You, Loki Stark, can do anything you set your mind to."

"Hmn, I still think Loki Stark sounds hideous."

Tony looked at him offended, "You don't have a last name! What did you expect? Besides, it’s not like people are gonna call you that. Apart from us, Nick is the only one that knows about your name in the paper."

"True. Anyway. Breakfast."

It took an hour and a half, but between the two of them they managed to make coffee and some decent blueberry pancakes.

They were watching the news, where they were talking about a new terrorist threat, when some lights on the balcony caught their attention. The bifrost.

Quickly, Thor entered the penthouse. "Brother, Tony. Sorry to interrupt your morning, but we have a problem."

"What's wrong big guy? You look extremely worried."

"That is because I am."

Loki, alerted by his brother's expression, asked, "Spit it out, Thor."

"It is Jane, I had to take her to Asgard."

They both widened their eyes at that piece of information, "What? What happened? Is she okay?"

"No, she is not. Loki, I need you to come home."

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm changing the MCU timeline. 'Thor: the dark world' is gonna happen first, then comes 'Iron Man 3' and then 'Captain America: The winter soldier'. I'm warning you so that then you don't tell me I screwd up hahaha. It's all so that it fits the plot other than the plot fitting the MCU. 
> 
> Thank you for all the love and support you all give me every time I upload, it makes my heart do a little flip. ♥♥♥


	24. Queen Frigga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and his mother have a chat. Thor and Loki betray the king. Loki gets hurt.

He had been staring at the spects for at least twenty-five minutes without a single improvement. He tried. He really tried, but his mind was elsewhere.

“Tony, are you even listening to me? I’ve been calling your name non-stop.”

“Sorry, Pep. What were you saying?”

His friend looked at him with worry in her eyes, “I was telling you that I need a few more signatures so that Happy can finally start as Head of Security. Are you okay?”

“Thor paid us a visit this morning. He said there was something wrong with Jane and he needed Loki’s help. Apparently something magic related. He had to take her to his floating godly-land.” Pepper paled.

“That doesn’t sound good, now I get why you’re so distracted.”

“It’s so frustrating. I feel so fucking helpless. They’re in another world, Pep. Another world. How are we supposed to help?”

She smiled sadly at him, “That’s how we feel every time you go out as Iron Man.” He huffed. “What exactly happened to Jane?”

“I don’t know,” said Tony running a hand over his face, “Thor didn’t explain much. He only said there was some weird magic inside her and something about dark elves.”

“You guys really can’t catch a break,” said Pepper with sympathy before giving him a kiss on the cheek and leaving the workshop.

“The universe hates us.”

* * *

Loki was with his mother in the royal courtyard while Thor accompanied Odin in inspecting Jane. "He did not even greet me. I mean, I knew I was nott his favorite person, but it is clear that he does not consider me his son anymore."

"It is not like that, Loki. He is just ashamed of the way things turned out, he could not protect you two. Also, I may have told him that you married a mortal.”

He lost all color from his face, "What? Why would you do such a thing? There is a reason I hid my relationship from Heimdall's eyes, mother."

"I know, and I am sorry," she said stroking his hair, "But when I was about to go down to Midgar he intercepted me to question me and I got angry. I had to tell him that there was no way in the galaxy that I would miss my son's wedding. "

He smiled at that, "Still, you should not have told him. I can bet he did not like the news."

"I do not know, I left the second the shock showed on his face." Mother and son laughed. "I am so proud of you. You found a love deeper than the oceans, a family that appreciates you for who you are, and a world you can call home. That is all I ever hoped for. To see you happy."

A small tear escaped from Loki's green eyes as he smiled at Frigga. "I am very happy, more than I have ever been here in Asgard. It scares me."

"You will be fine. My dear Loki, there is a beautiful future waiting for you. Do not let fear or pain stop you from finding it," they hugged tightly. "Now, I believe you are here for Jane Foster. You better go find her or Thor is going to send her hammer in search of you."

The god chuckled and stood up from the bench they were sitting on, but before he could go and look for his brother, his mother grabbed his wrist and looked at him with warmth in her eyes. “Say hi to Harley for me.”

Confused and with a weird feeling on his chest, Loki left, putting that strange moment aside to focus on the real problem.

* * *

"Darcy, can you focus for a moment? I don't care if the new intern is cute, I want to know what happened to Jane."

"Okay, fine, calm down a little, shellhead. Here's the thing, we found a floating car and then some kids showed us how to throw a can down the stairs and then fall from above, but there were things that didn't come back. Like, for example, the car keys. Later, Jane disappeared for a few hours and came back with magic that hated us all and tomorrow is convergence and all the astrophysicists are losing their minds and Erik is running around the world naked. What do you think of that summary? "

Tony was speechless. "Did you say a floating car?"

"Well, it was a truck to be more exact."

"A floating tru- You know what? I don't even care, just- stay safe, Darce. And keep me updated."

"You got it, Tones."

* * *

Loki felt empty.

She was gone. She was truly gone.

He was never going to be able to learn seiðr from her again. He was never going to be able to talk about Anthony with her again. He was never going to be able to laugh with her, hug her or tell her how much he loved her.

Worst of all, Loki had a slight suspicion that she had known exactly what was going to happen to her, and that made him furious.

He and Thor sat side by side in the garden for a long time, silently supporting each other and letting their tears fall freely. They gave themselves that liberty, because then they had to face the reality where Jane was dying and Malekith had her as a target.

* * *

Tony hadn't slept for 28 hours, but the new suit was going to be spectacular.

The workshop was a disaster. There were papers, food and cups of coffee everywhere. Dum-E and U were trying to tidy up the place while Butterfingers helped him.

"Sir, Doctor Banner sent you everything he knew about convergence and said if you need anything else, let him know."

"Thank him from me J, and show me everything he sent."

While he was reading the files, a paper surrounded by a green glow appeared on the table. 'My mother is gone. Thor and I are going to help Jane. I am not sure when I am going to come home. Stay safe. -L '

"Shit."

Tears welled up in his eyes and dread flooded him. Loki and Thor had just lost his mother, they were going to be out there looking for blood, and it terrified him.

* * *

They were about to betray the crown. They were going against the Allfather's wishes. And it was all part of a Thor plan.

"This is so unlike you, brother. So clandestine. Are you sure you would not rather just punch your way out?" He asked him with a teasing smile.

"If you keep speaking I just might."

"Fine. As you wish. I am not even here," he said as he turned himself into an Asgardian guard. "Is this better?"

"It is better company at least," he said, shaking his head.

"Still, we could be less conspicuous," Loki turned back into himself but turned Thor into Tony. "Hm, brother. You look ravishing."

The blond looked down at himself and said, "And Tony has to put up with you. I do not know how he does it."

"I am a delight," once again, the trickster changed Thor back to himself. "You take the fun out of everything."

In the distance, the brothers could see Sif and Jane.

"Oh my god," the brunette said before running in his direction and throwing herself into Loki's arms. "I'm really sorry about your mother," she whispered.

He tightened his grip on her and then released her when he heard the guards approaching them.

"I will hold them off," Sif said.

"Thank you," the three said, running towards Malekith's crashed ship. Volstagg said that he was going to buy them some time, so they did not wait any longer and entered the ship.

Loki watched as Thor analyzed the controls and touched every possible button. "I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing."

"I said, 'how hard could it be?'" He replied, making him roll his eyes.

Seeing how the guards were getting past Volstagg, the trickster said, "Well, whatever you are doing, brother, I suggest you do it faster."

"Shut up, Loki."

"You must have missed something."

"No, I did not, I am pressing every button on this thing."

"No, do not hit it, just press it gently," he said as his brother hit the buttons.

"I am pressing it gently. It is not working!"

Suddenly the ship came to life. Thor laughed as the ship started to rise, hitting the columns of the palace

"I think you missed a column."

"Shut up!" Finally the ship broke through the palace walls and took off.

As they were flying through Asgard, Loki suggested the most reasonable thing, "Look, let me take over, I am clearly the better pilot."

"Is that right? Well, out of the two of us which one can actually fly?"

"That makes absolutely no sense."

A few moments later, Jane collapsed. "Shit," Loki said, bending down to see if she was okay.

She raised her head, looking weak "I'm okay."

Thor was doing a terrible job managing the ship, as he was crashing everything in the way. "Not a word."

Several smaller Asgardian ships started following them. "Now they are following us.” A moment later, they started shooting. “Now they are firing at us!"

"Yeah, thank you for the commentary, Loki! It is not at all distracting!"

The ship then hit a massive stone monument of King Bor, breaking the head off and Loki couldn't help it, "Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather."

* * *

The fight with Malekith in Svartalfheim passed quickly and a moment later, Loki found himself with a hole in his chest after saving Thor.

"No. No, no, no! Oh, you fool, you didn't listen!"

"I know. I'm a fool. Shit, it hurts," he breathed squirming in pain.

"Stay with me, okay? Stay with me."

"Anthony."

"Yes, he is going to be very angry at you," Thor said tearfully.

"No. Anthony. Rune."

A look of understanding crossed the blond's face who said, "What do you need me to do?"

"Strength. I need your strength."

Squeezing his hand, Loki called out to his seiðr and made it hold onto Thor, using his energy to activate Tony's rune and immediately teleporting to where he was.

* * *

Tony was having coffee in the kitchen when out of nowhere, Loki's body appeared on the floor, a pool of blood instantly forming around him.

The cup slipped from his hands making a loud noise that caught the attention of Pepper and Happy who were in the living room.

"Lokes?"

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you might've noticed that I summed up 'Thor:The Dark World' in one single chapter, but I just wanted to get it over and done. Also, I just can't wait to write 'Iron Man 3'.  
> I hope you're not mad at me for glossing over this movie, but it is what it is.  
> Thanks again for the support and the lovely comments, I love you all ^.^


	25. Panicked and hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is hurt but so is Tony.

Loki slowly opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds to recognize his surroundings, but when he did, he was able to recognize his room in Malibu.

If his memory was correct, he had managed to reach Anthony by means of the rune engraved on the mortal's back, but based on the blank space that followed his arrival, he assumed that he had fainted.

The door slammed open making him shrink and giving way to Pepper and Happy.

"Oh thank god you're awake. We were losing our minds waiting."

"You know something, Loki? I don't get paid enough for this kind of situation. You can't give me a scare of that size. Tony's enough for me," Happy added.

As Pepper checked the bandage that he just realized was covering his wound, he asked in a harsh voice, "Where is Anthony?"

"Uh, downstairs in the workshop," Happy replied with a grimace as he handed him a glass of water.

A feeling of concern washed over him. The usual Anthony would have been sitting next to him waiting for him to wake up. "How long was I unconscious?"

Pepper finished changing the bandage, "Thirty-nine hours."

"And how long has he been in the workshop?"

"Thirty-nine hours," Happy said sadly.

* * *

"Sir, Mr. Loki has woken up."

Relief ran through Tony's veins and he felt that if he hadn't been sitting, his knees would have failed him.

Nodding, he said, "Good. That's good. That means he's safe, right?"

"It would appear so, sir."

"Awesome. Wonderful. Now, JARVIS, get the simulation going." Silence was the only thing he got from the AI. "J? Is your system failing? Some super virus that you can't get rid of?"

"Pardon me, I was just surprised. I thought you were going to run to where your husband is."

Tony knew that JARVIS added the word 'husband' in the sentence to give him the necessary push, but the only thing he managed was to convince him more. "No. I need to get on with this. Mark 42 is going to be a gem."

To show his disapproval, the AI ran the simulation so that it would fail with every correction he made.

"This is ridiculous, J. I know you don't agree, but I can't get myself to see him right now. I just can't."

Sensing the vulnerability of his words, he said, "Very well, sir.”

* * *

"Can anyone explain what the hell happened?"

"I think you better watch it," Pepper told him.

Immediately, JARVIS projected the security footage of that day.

_"Lokes?"_

_Anthony looked at Loki with terror on his face as his entire body began to shake. Pepper and Happy ran in and she screamed when she saw one of her best friends lying on the ground and covered in blood._

_"Tony, what happened? What the hell happened?"_

_"Oh god, oh god."_

_But Tony had slipped to the ground and was breathing hard._

_"Mr. Loki needs you to stop the blood loss. Once you do that, his body should heal normally."_

_Without thinking twice, Happy took off his jacket and pressed it hard to the hole in the god's chest._

_"Are you completely sure, J?" she asked as she opened the first aid kit._

_"Indeed. Mr. Loki told me so in one of our many talks."_

_"Good. Hap, keep putting pressure on him but swap your jacket for these gazas." Once she saw that the man was doing what she told him, she approached Tony carefully._

_The genius was gripping the reactor tightly as he tried to calm his breathing without success._

_"Tony. Tony I need you to look at me," when glances connected, Pepper's heart broke. He looked more scared than ever before._

_"Loki. I- I need- Alive. Please- I need him alive," Tony's broken words were joined by big tears. "Help him. Help my husband, please."_

_He was talking to her as if he didn't recognize her. As if she were a nurse in a hospital. It was as if despair and fear had consumed him and his body could_ _not function._

_"I will. I promise I will."_

Loki closed his eyes and tried to calm down. "Thank you. You saved me. Both of you."

She smiled at him stroking his hair, "We couldn't let our favorite alien die, not after everything you and Tony have been through."

At the mention of Anthony, Loki's heart sank. "Why is he not here? Does he know I am awake?"

"I informed sir the moment you opened your eyes Mr. Loki."

"But he did not want to come see me. Nice."

"I think it's more complicated than that, Lo," said Pepper.

Happy nodded, "Definitely. Tony loves you more than his life. Seeing you like this, on the brink of death, screwed him up."

The god imagined being in Anthony's shoes and seeing his husband in such a disturbing state. Yes, just imagining it made him want to burn the place to the ground.

"JARVIS, can you tell Anthony to come upstairs, please? Tell him if he does not come I am going to take each of his suits apart until there is nothing but a pile of junk left."

"Consider it done."

* * *

Tony was about to make a furrow in the ground from so much pacing. He was nervous. The last time he saw Loki was when he was still covered in blood and with a hole in his chest.

"Anthony, if you are going to come in, just do it once. I can hear you destroying the hallway floor," he heard the voice of the god say.

Letting out a shaky breath, he stepped inside.

Loki was sitting with his back on a pile of pillows against the bed frame, pale and with tired eyes.

"You look terrible, love."

Moving closer and sitting next to him, Tony took his husband's hand and caressed his wrist just where he could feel his pulse, his heart beating steadily.

"I am fine, Anthony. The wound is already healing. I may not regain my strength for a few days, but I will be fine."

"I thought I was losing you," he said quietly.

"I know, darling. I am truly sorry."

Tony continued to play with Loki's hand without looking up, determined to avoid the god's eyes.

"Are you going to tell me why you locked yourself down there all this time? Happy told me you only had crackers and Dum-E smoothies," he didn't answer. "What is going on, Anthony?" Biting his lip, the genius tried to avoid the hand that tried to grab his chin, but, stubborn as Loki was, it didn't work. "Just tell me. I want to try to understand."

It took a few seconds for Tony to muster the courage to look up and say, "I froze." His eyes were shining with pain and disappointment in himself. "You showed up in the kitchen, bleeding to death, unconscious and I just froze. I couldn't help you, I couldn't move, I couldn't even breathe. You were dying and I was having a fucking panic attack. What kind of husband does that make me?"

He sounded utterly broken.

"The kind of husband that loves me. It just tells me how much you care about me, Anthony. I cannot blame you when I would have reacted the same."

"No. That's the thing. You wouldn't have reacted like that. And I know that because this already happened to us. Years ago you entered the mansion and found me with a hole in my chest. Obadiah had left me stranded without the reactor and completely paralyzed. It took you seconds to search for the other reactor. You didn't even have to think about it. But when the roles are reversed, all I do is stare at you like an idiot without being able to save you.”

Regardless of his injury, Loki wrapped Tony in his arms, letting him cry on his shoulder. His heart hurt at the sight of him so distressed.

"It is not your fault," he felt him shake his head. "No, look me in the eye." Releasing him and placing a hand on his cheek, Loki said, "It is not your fault. You panicked. The wound I received is not something a human could have survived. Even Thor panicked, and he is a god with thousands of years of knowledge. Besides, I can bet what you want that if Pepper and Happy had not been there, you would have taken action. I know you, Anthony. You subconsciously allowed yourself to panic because two people you trust had the situation under control."

"I love you. I love you and I never want to see you like that again. You are not allowed to die, Lokes. Not while I'm still alive."

Loki's stomach churned at the thought of their different life spans, but he quickly buried that fact deep in his mind and ran his fingers through Tony's hair, who had snuggled into his side and rested his head on his back. lap.

"I will try my best."

A comfortable silence filled the room. Both delighted by each other's company.

"Oh, you don't know the latest news."

"What news?"

"Thor almost destroyed London," Loki gaped at him. “There were spaceships, dark elves, cars smashed, broken windows, the whole shebang.”

Tony snickered. "That imbecile. You leave him alone for a day and everything goes to hell. Do you see what I had to live with all these centuries?"

The man kept trying to hide the giggle from him to no avail and Loki had to smile.

Yes, they were going to be okay.


	26. Explosions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy gets hurt and the mansion is destroyed.

"Yes, James. Do not worry. I am going to talk to him now."

"Thanks, Lo. He really gave me a scare today. I hope he deigns to talk to you. God knows he needs it."

Although the hole in his chest was closed, he was still weak. His seiðr was numb, so teleportation was out of his power.

Going down the stairs carefully, the god reached the living room where Iron Man was waiting for him on the couch.

“I will talk to you later. And, to be honest, Iron Patriot is a ridiculous name."

"Ugh, I hate you and your husband," with one last laugh, the call ended.

"You are wearing this in the house now? What is that, like Mark forty?"

"Boy, you know me so well. Forty-two actually."

Nodding, he approached the suit. "Is there an explanation for the giant rabbit that I saw through the window of our room?"

"Obviously. It's the Christmas present for Pepper. It's also a ' _ thank you for running the company better than I could have dreamed of' _ kind of gift," he said standing up and grabbing him by the waist.

"Oh, I am sure Pep is going to love that," he rolled his eyes. Noticing that Tony was not in the suit, he commented, "You should lift up that face mask and give me a kiss. I am in need of affection."

The genius knocked the metal helmet on his head and said, "Huh. Yup, dammit. No can do. You wanna just kiss it on the- the facial slit?"

"Is it stuck? Well, why don't I use the little bit of magic I have to open the mask?"

"Uh-"

"Or would it be better if I go down to the workshop and find a crowbar to open it manually? Yes, that is a wonderful idea," he said starting down the stairs slowly, knowing that the Iron Man suit was following him.

Downstairs he ran into Tony, who was controlling the suit remotely while he worked on oiling Dum-E's arm.

"Busted."

"This is a new level of lame. You tried to trick the god of mischief. Unsuccessfully, may I add."

Tony grimaced, "Sorry, sweetheart."

"James told me what happened today."

"What happened today? Nothing happened today. Nope. Totally fine here. Well, if we put aside that War Machine is now apparently called Iron Patriot and is painted as Captain freaking America. But that's beside the point. Did you know Happy is jealous-"

"I know you are not fine."

"-of Aldrich Killian? Is that man I met at that New Years party that I told you about that time. It seems like he showed his big, shiny brain to Pepper or  something. Don’t know what that means. I have to say, I didn't expect that one, but-"

"Anthony!" that seemed to snap him out of his ramble. "Breath, love."

Approaching his husband, Loki put one hand on the back of his neck and ran his fingers through his hair with the other one. Instantly relaxing and resting  his head on the god's chest, Tony finally spoke.

"I'm a piping hot mess. It's been going on for a while, I haven't said anything because I know you know. It's just that- Nothing's been the same since New  York."

Loki tensed as he remembered him falling from the portal. "I understand. You are not the only one. I still have nightmares about that day."

"You experience things and then they're over and you still can't explain 'em. Gods, aliens, other dimensions. I- I'm just a man in a can. The only reason I haven't cracked up is probably because we got married. Which is great. I love you, I'm lucky. But, honey, I can't sleep. You go to bed, I come down here. I do what I know, I tinker, " he paused for a moment and he looked into his eyes. "But threat is imminent, and I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you. My suits, they're uh-"

"They are a part of you," Loki finished for him.

With a sigh of relief, he said, "Yes. That's exactly what they are. I know I'm almost obsessed at this point, but it's what I know I can do."

"I am going to take a shower," Loki said, surprising Tony with the abrupt change of subject.

"Okay?"

"And you are going to join me. You need to relax."

"Even better."

That night, they both had nightmares. They woke up shivering and continued the rest of the night holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it.

* * *

Tony knew it was stupid to give his address to the press and threaten a terrorist publicly, but hey, everyone makes mistakes.

Seeing Happy on that gurney, Pepper next to her with teary eyes, was too much. And yes, he was impulsive and foolish, but what was done is done.

Now, in his workshop, Tony was trying to figure out what the hell had happened that ended with Happy so hurt. In front of him there was a virtual representation of the crime scene that JARVIS had managed to recreate.

Analyzing the image, and thanks to Happy pointing at the necessary clue, Tony came to the conclusion that it had not been a bomb and that something similar had happened in Rose Hill, Tennessee.

“You ever been to Tennessee, J?

"I do not believe so, sir. Creating a flight plan for Tennessee."

As Tony was about to get ready to leave for Tennessee, he heard the doorbell ring. "Are we still at ‘ding-dong’? We're supposed to be on total security lock down. Come on, I threatened a terrorist. Who is that?"

"There is only so much I can do, sir, when you give the world's press your home address," JARVIS said.

"So much sass."

The glass doors opened and a woman entered.

"Right there's fine," said Tony dressed in his Iron Man suit and walking towards her. "You're not the Mandarin, are you? Are you?"

She looked at him shaking her head, "You don't remember. Why am I not surprised?"

"Don't take it personally, I don't remember what I had for breakfast."

"Gluten-free waffles, sir."

"That's right."

"Okay, look, I need to be alone with you. Someplace not here, it's urgent," she said nervously.

"Normally, I'd go for that sort of thing, but now I'm in a committed relationship," as he turned to walk into the living room, two bags were thrown down from the above balcony. "It's ... with that person."

"Tony, is somebody there?" With pleasant surprise, Loki's female voice was heard. Tony got out of the suit and waited for him to come down.

"Yeah, it's Maya Hansen. Old botanist pal that I used to know, barely."

Hearing how his husband came down the stairs, he approached the woman and asked in a low voice, "Please do not tell me that there is a twelve year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met. I don’t know if I can explain that to her while she’s pissed at me."

"He's thirteen. And no, I need your help."

He frowned, "What- what for? Why now?"

"Because I read the papers, and, frankly, I don't think you'll last the week."

"I'll be fine."

A female Loki appeared in front of them with a smile. Her dark hair was longer and her features softer. Her cheeks had a slight blush and she was a few  inches shorter than Tony. She was wearing a white shirt with jeans and she looked completely beautiful.

"I am sorry. With Happy in the hospital, I did not know we were expecting guests."

"We weren't."

"No, I-"

"And old girlfriends!"

"She's not really," Tony tried to defend himself.

"No, not really. It- it was just one night," Maya helped him.

"I am not really surprised. That is how you did it, is it not?"

Without thinking, the not-so-genius said, "It was a great night." He then bit his lip as he realized what he said.

"Well, you know, you have saved yourself a world of pain," Loki told Maya with mischief in his eyes.

"I'm sure."

"What?" Tony said, offended.

"Trust me. Now, we are going out of town."

"Okay, we've been through this. Nope. The man says no."

"I could not care less about what the man says, Anthony. We are going immediately and indefinitely."

"Honey-"

Maya interrupted him grabbing the suitcases, "Great idea. Let's go."

Starting to get angry at how his plans were being interrupted, he said, "I'm sorry. That's a terrible idea. Please do not touch her bags."

"Anthony, this is how normal people behave."

"I can't protect you out there. I challenged-"

Maya noticed a giant stuffed rabbit Tony had bought for Pepper. "Is- is that normal?"

"Yes, this is normal!"

"Sadly, that is very normal. Thankfully, that is not for me."

"It's a big bunny, relax about it!" He snapped, the anger concentrating more and more.

"Calm down, dear."

"We are leaving the house. That is not even up for discussion."

"I said no."

"Guys, can we um-"

"What?"

Maya pointed to the missile heading straight for the house. "Do we need to worry about that?"

The house was suddenly hit. As everything exploded around them, Tony managed to get his Iron Man suit onto Loki to protect him from the fall, knowing that he did not have his seiðr de él entirely back and was still healing. He looked over to Maya, who was lying unconscious on the ground. The ceiling was about to fall on him but his husband saved him with the suit.

"I got you, love."

"I got you first. Like I said, we can't stay here." The helicopters started shooting at the house, "Move! I'm right behind!" As they ran to get out, the floor between them collapsed. "Get Maya, I'm gonna find a way around."

"This place is about to fall off the cliff! I won't leave you behind, Anthony," Loki yelled.

"Stop stopping! Get her, get outside! Go!"

With one last anxious look, I managed to grab Maya and use the Iron Man suit to get them safely out of the house, but the house got further destroyed as the helicopters continued to fire on it.

That's when Tony really felt fear running through his veins. There was no guarantee that he would survive, but at least Loki was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harley is coming!!! This is going to be fun ^.^


End file.
